behaviourist approach Flashcards
what kind of approach is behaviourist approach
a learning theory
what does behaviourism emphasise
that all behaviour is learnt and behaviour is influenced by environmental factors
behaviourism almost entirely excludes inhertied factors
how do we learn new behaviour
through operant or classical conditioning
what is our mind called when we are born
tabula rasa - blank slate
what do behaviourists believe when it comes to approaching scientific study
that behaviour should be studied scientifically
how should theories be supported
theories should be supported through obtaining empircal data through careful controlled observation and measurement of behaviour
what do behaviourists propose the use of
operationalising variables
what do they believe when it comes to the existance of cognitions and emotions
they believe it exists but that only obseravle behaviour should be objectively studied - it is not possible to study people’s thoguhts and unconscious objectively (reject introspection
what do they believe when it comes to studying animals
they believe that there is no fundamental distinction between human and animal behaviour
so research can be carried out on animals and generalised to humans (comparitive psychology)
what is the relationship between stimulus and response
behaviour is a stimulus-response association
strength - control
based in well controlled research - conducting highly controlled lab experiments
breaking behaviour into stimulus and responses
control of extraneous variables
all ensured clear cause effect relationships
strength - application to real world
principles of behaviourism can be applied to real world
classical conditioning has been applied to treatment of phobias known as systematic desensitisation
operant conditioning used in token economies which is successful in institutions (eg detention)
weakness - simplification
by reducing behaviours to micro-components behaviourists may have oversimplified the learning process
eg other approaches like SLT and cognitive approach suggest there are mental processes involved in learning
weakness - animals
studies rely on the use of animals to explain human behaviour often
some argue data collected in studies using animals can’t be generalised to human behaviour because it is more complex and has advanced cognitive skills
