behaviourist approach Flashcards
classical conditioning, operant conditioning, SLT
3 main assumptions of the behaviourist approach
- all behaviour is learned though experience and can be explained in terms of classical conditioning and operant conditioning
- only observble behaviour is relevant; references to mental processes are unnecessary
- human behaviour is qualitatively no different from non-human animal behaviour, both are built of stimulus - response links
what does behaviourist research typically involve?
studying learning in animals under laboratory conditions using experiental methods
why does behaviourist research typically involve animals?
behaviourists assume they learn in the same way as people and are more convenient to study
why do behaviourists favour laboratory settings?
they allow researchers to control the conditions under which learning occurs
why are experimental methods used?
they allow inferences to be drawn about cause and effect relationships between the variables studied
what 2 types of conditioning did behaviourists propose?
classical conditioning and operant conditioning
CLASSICAL CONDITIOING
what is classical conditioning?
learning by associating two stimuli
what type of responses does classical conditioning apply to?
reflex responses
when did Ivan Pavlov conduct his research?
1927
who was Ivan Pavlov
a physiologist interested in digestion in dogs. he developed a technique for collecting and measuring their saliva when he noticed they would salivate before they got their food and realised they associated food with another stimulus e.g., seeing the food
how did Ivan Pavlov investigate why this occured?
using classical conditioning to get the dogs to associate food, which naturally made the dogs salivate, with the sound of a bell, which did not
what happened before conditioning?
the food is an UCS and salivation is the UCR. the bell is a NS because it produces no response
what happened during conditioning?
Pavlov repeatedly paired the bell (NS) with the food (UCS) and the dog salivated (UCR). the dog initially salivated because the food was presented
what happened after conditioning?
the dogs salivated on hearing the bel. salivation was now a CR because it is being produced by the bell, the CS
5 principles of classical conditioning
- generalisation
- discrimination
- extinction
- spontaneous rercovery
- higher order conditioning
what is generalisation?
when stimuli similar to the original CS e.g., a bell with a different pitch, produced the CR e.g., salivation
what is discrimination?
when stimuli similar to the original CS doesn’t produce the CR. this can be achieved by withholding the UCS e.g., food, when the similar stimulus is used.
what is extinction?
when the CR e.g., salivation, isn’t produced as a result of the CS e.g., bell. this happens when the CS is repeatedly presented without the UCS e.g., food, following it
what is spontaneous recovery?
when a previously extinct CR is produced in response to the CS. this happens when the CS is presented again after a period of time during which it’s not been used
what is higher order conditioning?
when a new CS e.g., a light, produces the CR because the animal associates it with the original CS. this can be achieved by consistently presenting the new CS before the original CS.
2 strengths of Pavlov and classical conditioning
- Pavlov’s research of learning via stimulus - response has been successfully applied to humans. for example, Watson and Rayner (1920) conditioned an 11-month-old boy ‘Little Albert’ to develop a phobia of a white rat. they did this by placing a white rat in front of him and when he reached out for it, a metal bar was struck loudly behind his head. this was repeated until he started to cry just by seeing a mouse as well as other white fluffy objects e.g., santa claus beard. these results support Pavlov’s idea of classical conditioning.
- Pavlov uses experiments to test his theory of classical conditioning. the insistence on objetivity, control over variables and precise measurement means that he can establish cause and effect; learning can be conditioned via stimulus and response. therefore, his reseach is viewed as scientific.
2 criticisms of Pavlov and classical conditioning
- Pavlov’s research was done on dogs. therefore, generalisations between humans and animals is difficult.
- classical conditioning is limited to explaining how reflex responses become associated with new stiuli. however, much human behaviour is voluntary, therefore it can’t be explained by classical conditioning.
OPERANT CONDITIONING
what is operant conditioning?
learning by reinforcement and punishment
who studied operant conditioning?
B.F Skinner (1938)
what did B.F Skinner study?
how animals can learn from the consequences of their actions