Behaviourist approach Flashcards
What does the Behaviourist approach study?
Observable and measurable behaviours
Why does this approach reject introspection?
It involved too many concepts that were too vague and difficult to measure
How do behaviourists maintain control within their studies?
By relying on lab studies
What replace humans as experimental subjects?
Animals
What is Classical conditioning?
Learning through association
Who first demonstrated Classical conditioning?
Pavlov (1927)
What are the equations to show Classical conditioning?
UCS -> UCR
UCS + NS -> UCR
CS -> CR
What is Operant conditioning?
Learning through consequence
Who suggested the process of Operant conditioning?
Skinner (1953)
Positive reinforcement
Receiving a reward for a behaviour to encourage the behaviour to be rewarded
Negative reinforcement
When a human avoids something unpleasant to have a positive outcome
Punishment
An unpleasant consequence of behaviour to avoid the behaviour being repeated
Strength of the behaviourist approach
Well controlled research:
- Focused on measurable and observable behaviours
- Breaks behaviour down into stimulus response units
- Removes extraneous variables
Strength of the behaviourist approach
Real world application:
- For example, token economy systems
- Help to reward behaviour with tokens in exchange for privileges
- Widespread application
Limitation of the behaviourist approach
Environmental determinism:
- Sees all behaviour as conditioned by past experiences
- Ignores any influence of free will
- Further ignores the influence of conscious decision making processes
