Behaviourist approach

Question 1

What is behaviourism?

Answer 1

A way of explaining human behaviour through observation

Question 2

What are the 3 key assumptions of the behaviourist approach

Answer 2

1. All behaviour is learnt through experience
2. The brain isn’t important to understand behaviour
3. Animals and humans learn in the same way

Question 3

Define classical conditioning

Answer 3

Making an association between 2 stimuli

Question 4

Describe the process of classical conditioning using pavlov

Answer 4

1. pavlov noticed food made his dogs salivate unconditionally
2. Pavlov rang a bell which produced no response
3. Pavlov rang the bell then fed the dogs multiple times
4. After conditioning pavlov rang the bell which made the dogs salivate (conditional response)

Question 5

Draw the process of Pavlovs classical conditioning

Answer 5

Food———> salivate
Bell———> no response
Bell + Food ———> salivate (x multiple)
Bell———> salivate

Question 6

What is the conditional stimulus and response?

Answer 6

Automatic

Question 7

What is the conditional stimulus and response?

Answer 7

Learnt

Question 8

Describe the Little Albert case

Answer 8

1. Albert not scared of animals but was scared of loud noises
2. People tried to condition him to be scared of white rats
3. every time Albert touched the white rat they made loud noises
4. Albert became scared of all fury animals because of generalisation

Question 9

What is Operant conditioning?

Answer 9

Learning through consequences of our actions

Question 10

What is reinforcement?

Answer 10

A consequence that increases the likelihood of behaviour being repeated

Question 11

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 11

A reward is given when certain behaviour is performed

Question 12

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 12

When an individual increases behaviour to avoid negative consequences

Question 13

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 13

When an individual increases behaviour to avoid negative consequences

Question 14

What is punishment ?

Answer 14

An unpleasant consequence that reduces likelihood of behaviour occurring again

Question 15

What was the method of skinners first study, and what reinforcement did this support ?

Answer 15

Positive reinforcement
1. Rat moves around cage and accidently presses lever
2. Lever releases food, when food stops rat presses lever few more times then stops
3. Rat gets hungry and presses lever again

Question 16

How did skinner extend his research
and what type of reinforcement was this?

Answer 16

Negative reinforcement
1. put rat in cage
2. floor shocks rats feet
3. rat learns to press the lever to stop electric floor

Question 17

What is a limitation of using animals in research?

Answer 17

Humans and animals don’t behave the same, we have more complex thoughts

Question 18

What are 2 limitations of the behaviourist approach?

Answer 18

-Animals aren’t the same as humans
-mechanistic view of behaviour (only looking at observable features)

Question 19

What are 2 strengths of the behaviourist approach?

Answer 19

-Real life application
. operant conditioning used in schools and by parents to improve behaviour
. classical conditioning used to treat phobias

-Scientific credibility
it’s replicable and objective (collect physical evidence)

Question 20

How does the little Albert study overcome a criticism of behaviourist approach that could be used to criticise Pavlovs research?

Answer 20

Little albert was a human, not an animal

Question 21

Behaviorism is a determinist approach (lack of free will)
What does this mean?
Is it a positive or negative?

Answer 21

Negative
The approach doesn’t consider the role of the thought process
It believes if something happens to us, we will respond in a certain way.

This unpopular opinion as goes against the human feeling that we have free will

Question 22

How does behaviorism have scientific credibility, how is this a strength?

Answer 22

It’s replicable
It’s objective (can collect empirical evidence from observations)

This is a strength because it is accurate and not open to interpretation therefore we can trust it more

Question 23

What’s the problem with behaviorism only looking at observable behavior?
(mechanistic view)

Answer 23

It ignores mental processes and how complex humans are
It doesn’t explain how humans are unique and behave differently in situations

Question 24

How can positive reinforcement be used in schools?
Why is this a strength?

Answer 24

Strength because of its real-life application.
When children perform good behavior they can be rewarded with eg sweets so they will perform this behavior again and learn