behaviourist approach

Question 1

assumptions

Answer 1

• psychologists should only study observable / quantifiable behaviour
• all behaviour is learned (can be unlearned)
• humans are no different from animals (not more complex) so research on animal behaviour is relevant to humans

Question 2

classical conditioning

Answer 2

existing involuntary reflex is associated with new stimulus

neutral stimulus is associated with unconditioned response to produce conditioned response

Question 3

operant conditioning

Answer 3

behaviour is learned through consequences of actions

positive: when behaviour is followed by a desirable consequence
negative: when behaviour results in undesirable consequence being removed
punishment: when behaviour results in something unpleasant / undesirable

Question 4

emergence of psychology as a science

Answer 4

• rejected Wundt’s ideas of introspection
• claims psychology should be more objective (only research what is observable / with experimental methods / animal studies)

Question 5

evaluation

Answer 5

• behaviourists were influential in use of animals as research subjects (more control w/o demand characteristics)
• study of little albert supports approach (phobias can be learned through process of classical conditioning)
• important contributions to modern understanding of human mental illness (e.g phobias rooted in earlier unpleasant learning experiences & can be treated with methods like flooding)
• behaviourists ignore alternative explanations (e.g role of cognition / emotional factors in influencing behaviour)

Question 6

SLT assumptions

Answer 6

• behaviour is learned through observation & imitation of others
• learning can occur through direct or indirect experience (vicarious reinforcement)
• cognitive processes influence our behaviour

Question 7

mediational processes (SLT)

Answer 7

stimulus: observation of behaviour
response: imitation of behaviour
cognitive processes that occur between stimulus and response:
- attention (extent to which we notice behaviour)
- retention (ability to remember observation)
- reproduction (ability to imitate what we remember)
- motivation (desire to imitate what we remember)

Question 8

SLT as a science

Answer 8

• acknowledges role of cognitive factors
• rejects idea that learning is the outcome of stimulus-response loop
• uses experimental methods

Question 9

SLT evaluation

Answer 9

• bandura’s bobo doll study supports thoery (e.g children who saw aggressive model were the most aggressive group)
• bandura - extensive use of experimental laboratory methods (artificial / strictly controlled / contrived) so lacks ecological validity
• positive applications to real world issues like criminal behaviour, advertising (Andsager et al. 2006 found that ‘identification with character / example may increase likelihood that audiences will model behaviour presented in anti-alcohol message’)
• limitation: issue of causality (not clear if people learn behaviour from models or seek out models who exhibit behaviour they already favour)
• research takes a nomothetic approach (attempts to generate general laws of behaviour that can be widely applied)