Behaviourist approach Flashcards
AO1: what is the behaviourist approach?
a way of explaining behaviour in terms of learning and what is observable
AO1: classical conditioning
learning by association, it occurs when 2 stimuli are repeated put together.
food (UCS) produces a response of a dog salivating (UCR). The bell (NS) then produces the response of the dog not salivating. putting the food (UCS) and bell (NS) together produces the response of the dog salivating. The bell (now CS) produces the response of the dog salivating (CR)
AO1: operant conditioning
behaviour is shaped and maintained by is consequences.
Positive reinforcement- receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed.
negative reinforcement- avoiding something unpleasant by doing the right thing
positive punishment- adding something unpleasant after they do an unwanted behaviour to discourage them from doing it again (putting a child in timeout after they’ve hit their sibling)
negative punishment- removing something desirable after unwanted behaviour to discourage them from doing it again (taking a teenagers phone away because they didn’t do their chores)
Skinners box: rats activated a lever and were rewarded with food so continued (positive reinforcement). pulled another lever and got an electric shock so didn’t pull again (positive punishment)
AO3: Limitation- low population validity
However, little Albert showed the same findings
P: Pavlov’s research was done on animals
E/E: his research into classical conditioning was done on dogs and pigeons
L: this means that research into classical conditioning when it comes to the behaviourist approach is low in population validity as the findings can’t be generalised to humans.
HOWEVER, the study on Little Albert showed the finding from Pavlov were true for humans. The unconditioned stimulus was the loud noise causing the unconditioned response of fear. The neutral stimulus is the rat, which he does not have a fear of. When the neutral stimulus is placed with the loud noise and little Albert feels fear, an association is formed. Then the rat becomes a conditioned stimulus and fear is the conditioned response. This shows evidence of conditioning on humans
AO3: Limitation- animal studies unethical
However, cost-benefit analysis
P: animal studies were unethical
E: rats were electrocuted
E: this is psychical harm
L: shows the studies were morally wrong
HOWEVER, the cost benefit analysis shows the benefits outweigh the costs. The knowledge and findings found from the studies were so helpful that it outweighs the cost of the harm done on the animals.
AO3: strength- real world application
P- both operant conditioning and classical condition have real world applications
E/E- operant conditioning has been used in prisons and psych wards. they can be given tokens that reward good behaviour which can then be used for privileges. Classical conditioning can be used as treatment for phobias. By replacing the learned response (anxiety) with a new response (relaxation)
L- this increases the value of the behaviourist approach
AO3: limitation- oversimplifies the learning process. Is holistic
P- oversimplifies the learning process
E- by ignoring important influences on learning
E- unlike the social earning theory and cognitive approach that take into account the mental processes ( e.g. the role of mediation and internal mental process)
L- this shows learning is more complex than just observable behaviour.
