Behaviourist approach assumptions

Question 1

Humans are born like a blank state

Answer 1

> mind is tabularsa - absense of prolonged ideas or predetermined goals , no innate ideas.
Watson - take newborn babies, raise and raise them to be anything and exactly the same - believe nurture shapes human

Question 2

Humans and animals learn in the same way

Answer 2

> animal studies can be applied to predict and make generalisations about human behaviour
Pavlov - Watson and Raynor’s (classical conditioning - association)
Skinner - token economy system (Hobbs and Holt)

Question 3

Assumptions

Answer 3

1. Humans are born like a blank state
   2.Behaviour is learnt through conditioning
2. Humans and animals learn in the same way

Question 4

Classical conditioning

Answer 4

association is made between previously unlearned response and a neutral stimulus.

Before:
UCS >UCR
NS > No response

During:
UCS + NS > UCR

After:
CS > CR

Example -
Pavlov

Question 5

Pavlov

Answer 5

> classical association
measured a dog’s output of saliva
gave the dog food while playing metronome
played metronome, no food - dog still salivated (associated the sound with food)

Question 6

Operant conditioning

Answer 6

Learning through consequences and praise

Positive reinforcement - something desirable given = behaviour repeated

Negative reinforcement -
something undesirable taken away = behaviour repeated

Positive punishment -
undesirable = behaviour not repeated

Negative punishment -
desirable taken away = behaviour not repeated

Example -
Skinner box

Question 7

Skinner box

Answer 7

> rat trained to press a leaver in order to receive food
positive reinforcement - something desirable given so behaviour is repeated

Question 8

Example for - Humans are born like a blank state

Answer 8

Albert Bundara’s Bobo Doll experiment
> Small children
>showed them an adult violently beating a doll up
> see if child reacted the same
> Did the same with adult playing gently
> result - children immitated the adult (even more if of same gender)

Question 9

Example for - Humans and animals learn in the same way

Answer 9

Hobbs & Holt experiment
> designed a token economy to modify the behaviour of adolescent males.
> focused on social behaviour, rule following and task completion.
> received tokens to spend or save
> Result - appropriate behaviour increased ( but no improvement in comparison cottage)