Behaviourist approach Flashcards
define behaviourist approach
explaining behaviour from what is observable and in terms of learning
explain classical conditioning
learning by association - when 2 stimuli are repeatedly paired together.
Unconditioned (unlearned) stimulus UCS and new ‘neutral stimulus NS . The neutral stimulus eventually produces the sae response that was first produced by the unconditioned stimulus alone.
explain classical conditioning - Pavlov’s research
first demonstrated by Pavlov.
he shows how dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell if it repeatedly presented at the same time dogs are given food.
gradually the dogs learn to associate the sound of the bell (stimulus) with the food (stimulus) and produce the salivation response every time they heard the sound.
SO Pavlov was able to show how a neutral stimulus - the bell - can elicit a new learned response (conditioned response) through association
define operant conditioning
form of learning in which behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences. possible consequences of behaviour include reinforcement (positive and negative) and punishment
operant conditioning - skinner’s research:
Skinner suggests that learning is an active process - humans and animals operate on their environment.
in operant conditioning, behaviour shaped by consequences
positive reinforcement - receiving an award when a behaviour is performed e.g. praise, from a teacher - making one more likely to repeat the behaviour
negative reinforcement- when an animal / human avoids something unpleasant so that the outcome is a positive experience. - which is the negative reinforcement
e.g. student hands in essay so they are not told off
punishment - unpleasant consequence of behaviour. finding a way to avoid this punishment would be negative reinforcement
define reinforcement
consequence of behaviour that increases likelihood of that behaviour being repeated. positive or negative
briefly explain the behaviourist approach
- study of what can be observed or measured
- early behaviourist Watson rejected introspection - involved too many concepts/ vague and difficult to measure
behaviourist tried to maintain more control + objectivity. - relied on lab studies for this
- behaviourists describe babies minds as a blank slate written on by experience
behaviourists identified two important forms of learning - classical and operant conditioning
strength well controlled research
strength of BA - based on well controlled research
B’s focused on measurement of observable behaviour in highly controlled lab settings
by breaking down behaviour into basic stimulus- response units, other extraneous variables are removed - allowing a cause - effect relationship
e.g. skinner was able to demonstrate how reinforcement influenced an animals behaviour
this suggested that behaviourists experiments have scientific credibility.
COUNTERPOINT to well controlled research
Problem: behaviourists may have over simplified the learning process.
reducing behaviour to such simple components , behaviourists may have ignored an important influence on learning - that of human thought.
other approaches such as social learning theory and the cog approach have drawn attention to the mental processes used in learning
suggests learning is more complex than observable behaviour alone , and private mental processes are also essential
REAL WORLD APPLICATION STRENGTH
strength - BA the principles of conditioning have been applied to real world behaviours and problems
e.g. operant conditioning has basis of token economy systems - used well in institutions such as prisons and psych wards
they work by rewarding appropriate behav with tokens exchanged for privileges to treatment of phobias
e.g. classical conditioning - applied to treatment of phobias
therefore this increases the value of the BA because it has widespread application
LIMITATION ENVRIONMENTAL DETERMINSM
limitation of BA sees all behaviour as conditioned by past conditioning experiences
Skinner suggested that everything we do it a sum of our reinforcement history
this ignores any possible influence of free will may have on behaviour.
this is an extreme position and ignores the influence of conscious decision making processes on behaviour
ETHICAL ISSUES
Skinners box allowed behaviourists to maintain high degree of control over the experimental subjects but animals were housed in harsh cramped consists and deliberately kept under their natural weight so they were always hungry
