Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
Behaviourist Approach
The idea that our behaviour is learnt from our environment, and how society has taught us to behave.
Tabula Rasa
The blank slate, behaviourists assume that we are born with no pre-conceived notions about the world, and that all our knowledge has come from our experiences.
What do behaviourists say about humans and animals?
They say that humans and animals learn in similar ways, we can study animal behaviour to make assumptions about human behaviour.
How do behaviourists say behaviour is learnt?
Through conditioning, classical and operant.
Summarise Pavlov’s experiment.
Pavlov used a dog and made it associate its food with a bell ringing. Repeatedly, a bell was rung at the same time the food was presented. After a while, when the bell was rung, the dog would react (salivating), expecting its food to be there.
What is positive reinforcement?
When the consequence for a behaviour is pleasant, causing behaviour to increase.
What is negative reinforcement?
When a negative consequence for a behaviour is removed, leading to a increase in the behaviour.
What is positive punishment?
When an unpleasant consequence is given, causing behaviour to decrease.
What is negative punishment?
When a positive consequence for a behaviour is removed, causing the behaviour to decrease.
What is the difference between classical and operant conditioning?
Classical conditioning teaches a behaviour, operant conditioning reinforces it.
Give a strength of the behaviourist approach.
Very scientific, supports nurture side of the debate, many useful applications such as treating phobias, allows us to investigate effects of the environment.
Give a weakness of the behaviourist approach.
Relies on lab experiments (lacking ecological validity), ethical concerns, using animal studies cause problems with ethics and generalisations, reductionist.
