Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
State the three assumptions of the behaviourist approach
- Only observable and measurable behaviour should be studied
- We are born as blank slates (‘Tabula Rasa’) – there is no genetic influence on behaviour
- The basic processes that govern learning are the same in all species - animals could replace humans as experimental subjects
What is classical conditioning?
Learning through association to create a conditioned response. This is through repeatedly pairing a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus.
Name the psychologist who investigated classical conditioning
Ivan Pavlov
4 Stages of Pavlov’s dogs
Food (UCS) - Salivating (UCR)
Bell (NS) - No conditioned response.
Food (UCS) + Bell (NS) - Salivating (UCR)
Bell (CS) - Salivating (CR)
Name the psychologists who carried out the Little Albert study. What is the UCS?
Watson and Rayner (1920)
Noise of steel bar being struck
Describe the study of Little Albert
- Conditioned a 9-month-old with a phobia of white rats over a 3 month period.
- Repeatedly paired the rat with a steel bar being struck (UCS)
- Little Albert learnt to associate the loud noise (UCS) with the white rat (NS), resulting in a learnt response of fear (CR) to the white rat which is now the conditioned stimulus (CS)
They then later generalised this phobia to all furry objects.
What is operant conditioning? 3 Types of consequence
Learning through consequences:
Positive reinforcement, Negative Reinforcement and Punishment.
What is:
Positive reinforcement?
Negative reinforcement?
Punishment?
Receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed. Increases likelihood of a repeated behaviour.
Carrying out a behaviour in order to avoid an unpleasant consequence. Increases likelihood of a repeated behaviour.
Receiving an unpleasant consequence after performing a behaviour. Decreases likelihood of a repeated behaviour.
Name the psychologist who investigated operant conditioning
B.F. Skinner (1953)
Explain how the rats responded to the three consequences in Skinner’s study
• Positive reinforcement – the rat learnt to press lever if repeatedly given food pellet when they press it
• Negative reinforcement – the rat learns to press lever if repeatedly the electric shock stops when they press it
• Punishment – the rat learns to stop pressing the lever if repeatedly given an electric shock when they press it
2 Strengths of the behaviourist approach
Real-life application:
Operant conditioning – Token economies. Eg for schizophrenia. A form of behaviour modification based on the principle of operant conditioning. Specifically, desirable behaviours are encouraged by selective reinforcement. Rewards (tokens) are given as secondary reinforcers whenever patients carry out agreed tasks, which can then be exchanged for tangible primary reinforcers- food or privileges.
Classical conditioning – principles have been used to treat people with phobias.SD - Counter-conditioning, taught relaxation.
Scientific credibility:
Focused on objectivity in controlled lab settings - limits influence of extraneous variables. Cause and effect relationships can be established
2 Limitations of the behaviourist approach
Mechanistic view of behaviour
Behaviourists view humans as machine-like responders to the environment with little or no conscious thought into their behaviour. They do not consider the influence of thought and cognitive processes. Some people believe it is too deterministic , disregarding free will and conscious thought which has face validity.
Practical and ethical issues:
Ethical issues in using animals in experiments The animals involved in the Skinner Box were directly exposed to stressful and aversive conditions. It has been argued it is not appropriate to apply findings on animals to humans due to the differences in the complexity of human and animal behaviour. There are genetic influences on what different species can and cannot learn which reflect their different evolutionary histories
