Behaviourist Approach- Assumptions

Question 1

1. Humans are born like a blank slate

Answer 1

• Tabula rasa- Blank slate
• We are not born with in built mental content (personalities)
• All our behaviour is learned from interactions with the environment- people have no free will
• Nurture is key in exposing the individual to new behaviours to learn
• Human behaviour/knowledge therefore is environmentally determined

Question 2

2. Behaviour is learned through conditioning

Answer 2

• Classical conditioning- learning through association
• Operant conditioning- learning through reinforcement
• Behaviour is the result of a stimulus response- all behaviour is learnt from the environment

-Classical conditioning- Ivan Pavlov- Before conditioning, food is an unconditioned stimulus (UCS), and salvation is the unconditioned response (UCR). During conditioning, a neutral response (NS) is presented alongside the UCS, and this is repeated several times. This is where association occurs. After conditioning, the bell is the conditioned stimulus (CS) which produced a new conditioned response (CR)- salvation.

-Operant conditioning- Reinforcement- increases response. Punishment-decreases response. Reinforcers- primary= food or water, secondary=money or power.
Thorndike & Skinner- How our behaviour changes because of its consequences and certain rewards.

Question 3

3. Humans and Animals learn in similar ways

Answer 3

There is little difference between the learning that takes place in humans and that in other animals. Therefore, research can be carried out on animals as well as humans.

Question 4

Relationship Formation

Answer 4

Positive reinforcement: Attention someone gives us, compliments, having company of someone we like, all are rewarding. For these reasons we are more likely to repeat the behaviour and spend more time with that person.
Negative reinforcement: Being with someone else may help us avoid feelings of loneliness and rejection. Successfully avoiding these feelings is negative reinforcement
-If we meet someone when we are feeling happy, we are much more inclined to like them than if we meet them when we are feeling unhappy.
-Previously neutral stimulus has become either positively or negatively valued as they are associated with a positive or negative event
-Making a relationship formation more or less likely