Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
What are the four assumptions of the behaviourist approach?
- only observe measurable things like behaviour and do not look at mental a processes.
- born as blank slates - behaviour is learn through the environment (nurture)
- experimental method - control and objectivity when studying human behaviour so use lab experiments
- use animals in research they assume humans and animals learn in a similar way
Who are the psychologists of the behaviourist approach?
Ivan Pavlov (classical conditioning - dogs)
BF skinner (operant conditions in rats and pigeons)
What are the two types of conditioning?
Classical and operant conditioning
What is classical conditioning?
- Learning through association
- a neutral stimulus is paired with an existing stimulus response that is naturally occurring curing and hasn’t been learned this produces a new learned response (conditioned response)
What is operant conditioning?
- Behaviour that is reinforced coed and is likely to occur again. Behaviour that results in unpleasant circumstances and is less likely to occur again.
- learnt through consequences
- how we learn voluntary behaviour
How did Pavlov study classical conditioning?
- he studied how dogs salivation helps digest food
- he noticed that dogs would salivate sometimes before their food arrived
- Pavlov found that dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell, if the bell was presented at the same time as the food.
- Pavlov then realised that the dogs had associated the bell with the food.
What are the conditions before conditioning?
Bell = neutral stimulus
Food = unconditioned stimulus -> salivates = unconditioned response
What are types conditions during conditioning?
Bell = neutral stimulus + food (unconditioned stimulus) -> salivates (unconditioned response
What are the conditions after conditioning?
Bell (conditioned stimulus ) -> salivates (conditioned response)
What are some experiments for operant conditioning?
- Thorndike (1911) conducted an experiment where he placed a kitten in a puzzle box
- the kitten had to find a way to escape and at the end received a food reward
- the kitten got faster at the escaping so it could get its reward
- this is known as the law of effect stating that a response followed by a pleasant consequence for example being rewarded, tends to be repeated while one followed by an unpleasant consequence tenses to not be repeated.
What is reinforcement?
When people behave in a particular way and rewarded for that by a reinforcer they will repeat it - the behaviour is more likely to occur again.
What is punishment?
Any behaviour that is followed by something unpleasant or a punishment t that is less likely to be repeated.
What is the experiment of B.F skinners box
Skinner conducted experiments with
rats/pigeons
• Designed special cages called skinner’s boxes
• Every time the rat/pigeon activated the lever (pecked a disc) it was rewarded with food. They would keep pressing the lever. This was providing the rat with positive reinforcement
• In other experiments if the rat pushed
the lever it stopped the electric current from the grid (stopped the rat being electrocuted) this was providing negative reinforcement
• In both cases the rat learnt very quickly to push the lever and repeat that behaviour.
What are strengths of the behaviourist approach ?
- scientific way of explaining behaviour - Pavlov=/ skinner conducted in lab settings so highly controlled. - state and effect conclusions could be drawn. - objective evidence can be recorded not thoughts.
- has practical applications for society - it can be used to treat phobias by counter conditioning. Can help to improve peoples quality of life.
What are weaknesses of the behaviourist approach?
- it is highly deterministic - suggests all behaviour is determined by our environment and have little say in how we respond. Behaviourists argue that free will is an illusion. Ignores that humans have free will.
