Behaviourist approach eval

Question 1

Advantages

Answer 1

• classical conditioning has been applied to theory
• Operant conditioning based on experimental work

Question 2

Disadvantages

Answer 2

• Classical conditioning is only appropriate for some learning
• Over-reliance on non-human animals in research
• A limited perspective on behaviour

Question 3

Classical conditioning has been applied to therapy

Answer 3

Classical conditioning - treat anxiety associated with various phobias

Systematic desensitisation - eliminate one learned response by replacing it with another

effective for a range of phobias eg. fear of spiders/flying

Question 4

Classical conditioning is only appropriate for some learning

Answer 4

Different species face different challenges to survive - some relationships between CS and UCS are more difficult and others easier to establish

Seligman (1970) proposed the concept of preparedness. Animals are prepared to learn association that are significant in terms of their survival needs yet unprepared to learn non-survival associations.

Suggests classical conditioning may be more appropriate in the learning of specific types of association (linked to evolutionary history)

Question 5

Operant conditioning based on experimental work

Answer 5

Skinner relied on the experimental method –> using controlled condition he could discover possible causal relationships

His Skinner box is a good example of this approach in practice. By manipulating the consequences of behaviour (the independent variable), he could accurately measure the effects of the rat’s behaviour (the dependent variable)

This allowed him to establish a cause-effect relationship between the consequences of behaviour and (ie. positive or negative) and the future frequency of its occurence

Question 6

Over-reliance on non-human animals in research

Answer 6

He has recieved criticism as many of his experiments used animals rather than humans

Reliance on rats and pigeons could mean that Skinner’s research tells us little about behaviour. Humans have freewill so behaviour is not determined solely by positive/negative reinforcement

However Skinner argued free will is meerly an illusion and what we think is free will is actually external influences that guide our behaviour

Question 7

A limited perspective on behaviour

Answer 7

Behaviourist have been accused of ignoring other levels of explanation such as those that emphasise the importance of cognitive or emotional states

Treating humans as a product of their conditioning alone means we ignore evidence for the role of these other factors in shaping behaviour.

However Skinner rejected this saying that these internal states are untestable. He argued that our complex behaviours could be explained solely through reinforcement