Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
What is classical conditioning?
Reflexes consist of an unconditioned response(UCR) which is an innate/unlearned response to a naturally occurring unconditioned stimulus(UCS)e.g a blast or air(UCS) causes you to blink your eye (UCR).
In classical conditioning a new stimulus response link is made by the way of the following process:
a neutral(the new)stimulus(NS) is paired with the UCS so that the individual comes to expect them together.Over a period of time, the NS produces the UCR on its own.The NS is now called a conditioned stimulus(CS) and the response it produces is called a conditioned response)
What did Ivan pavlov discover during the process of classical conditioning?
He realized the dogs had learned association between the procedures of preparing the food and the imminent arrival of their food.
How did Ivan Pavlov scientifically investigate the process of classical conditioning?
-Repeated rang a bell(NS) when the dog was being presented with the food(UNS)
-He called these repeated pairings the conditioning process
-After several pairings of the bell (NS) and food(UNS), Pavlov found that when the bell alone was rung the dog would begin to salivate
-The dog had learned to associate the bell with the presentation of the food.
-After the conditioning process the bell was no longer a neutral stimulus -instead Pavlov referred to it as a conditioned stimulus(CS) producing the conditioned response(CR) of salivation.
What is operant conditioning?
-In operant conditioning,the learner’s behaviour brings about certain consequences.
-These consequences can shape/modify the behaviour to either strengthen or weaken the behaviour.
What is positive reinforcement?
When a behaviour is rewarded which makes the behaviour more likely to reoccur in the future.
What are examples of positive reinforcement?
-Receiving praise or a prize for doing a good piece of homework, means you are try to complete another good piece of work in the future.
-Getting pocket money for completing chores will increase your likelihood of carrying out chores in the future.
What is negative reinforcement?
When a behaviour means the person avoids a negative consequence,which makes the behaviour to more likely to reoccur in the future.
What are examples of negative reinforcement?
-Someone trying to quick smoking might start to experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms and so start smoking again in order to avoid them, thereby increasing the smoking behaviour.
-Taking paracetamol(increase behaviour) to relieve(avoid) a painful headache.
What is punishment?
When a behaviour is met with a negative consequence,which makes the behaviour less likely to occur in the future .
What are some examples of punishment?
-A child being placed in time out after hitting another child,means they are less likely to hit again in the future.
-Being issued with a speeding fine for driving too fast.
What did Skinner discover from the studying negative reinforcement?
Skinner found on subsequent occasions when the animal was placed in the box they quickly repeated the lever pressing behaviour(as they had learned it ceases the electric shock)showing how the lever pressing behaviour had been strengthened/increased.
How did Skinner study punishment?
-A different rat/pigeon was placed in the box,again it moves/pecks randomly around the box as its natural exploratory behavior.
-This time if the rat pigeon accidentally press against the lever they receive an electrical shock.
What did Skinner discover at punishment through his study?
Skinner found the rat/pigeons were less likely to press the lever again and remained on the opposite side of the box.This was because the consequence of pressing the lever was a punishment and so it weakened/reduced the lever pressing behaviour.
What are the strengths of behaviourism?
-Research evidence in support of the processes of classical conditioning and Operant conditioning.Therefore increasing the validity of the claims of the behavioural approach that behaviour can be learned via these processes.
-Takes a very scientific approach to studying human behaviour.They believe in studying observable and measurable behaviours and generally use well controlled laboratory methods to conduct their research,such as those by Pavlov and Skinner.As a result, it easier to draw conclusions about cause and effect(high internal validity)in relation to stimulus response links and the influence of consequences of behaviour ,thereby validating the learning explanations of classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
-Views all behaviour as learned and therefore, assumes behaviours can be unlearned by the same processes.As a result it involves real life practical application in modifying behaviour and therefore these techniques are used in a variety of areas.
What are the limitations of the behaviourist approach?
-It is too deterministic as it claims are behaviours are learned by our environment,specifically our learned stimulus response associations(classical conditioning) However,people usually demonstrate unique or spontaneous behaviours which are hard to explain using the behaviourist approach overlooks people’s free will to choose how they wish to behave.
-Much of the research into behaviourist approach is conducted on non-human animals (such as the dog used by pavlov or the rats and pigeons used by skinner)They claim that animals and humans learn using similar processes.However crtitics claim that humans are much more complex due to the influence of our cognitions and emotions on our behaviour questioning the external validity of the research, and whether the behaviourist approach can effectively explain human behaviour.
What type of experiments did Skinner conduct?
Well controlled laboratory experiments using pigeons and rats
What is the name of the special box used by Skinner in his experiments?
Skinner box
In Skinner’s study of positive reinforcement, what results from lever pressing?
A food pellet
What behavior did Skinner observe in the rat/pigeon when it received food after pressing the lever?
The behavior of pressing the lever continued
Fill in the blank: Positive reinforcement ______ the rat/pigeon’s behavior.
shaped
What did Skinner find regarding the pairing of the reward and lever pressing?
The greater the pairing, the greater the likelihood of the behavior being repeated
In Skinner’s study of negative reinforcement, what was the consequence of pressing the lever?
Avoiding electrocution
What did the termination of the shock represent in Skinner’s negative reinforcement study?
Removal or avoidance of an unpleasant experience
What behavior was strengthened in the rat/pigeon during the negative reinforcement study?
Lever pressing behavior
In Skinner’s punishment study, what happened when the lever was pressed?
The animal received an electric shock
What was the outcome of the punishment in Skinner’s experiments?
Reduced lever pressing behavior
True or False: Skinner found that punishment increased the likelihood of lever pressing behavior.
False
What evidence supports the processes of classical and operant conditioning?
Research evidence from Pavlov and Skinner
What did Pavlov demonstrate in his classical conditioning experiments?
Dogs learned to associate the bell (NS) with food (UCS)
How did Skinner contribute to the understanding of behaviorism?
He showed how behavior could be shaped through reinforcements and punishments
Fill in the blank: The behaviorist approach takes a very ______ approach to studying human behavior.
scientific
