Behaviourist Approach - Evaluating The Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
what does the acronym DRUGS stand for
Determinism (verses free will)
Reductionism (verses holism)
Useful applications (in the real world)
Generalisability (nomothetic or idiographic)
Science (verses non scientific)
Where/how can we use psychology in real life?
- Therapy
- Education
- legal system
- advertising
- business
what is the best way to investigate human behaviour
- using the nomothetic approach
- using the idiographic approach
What are the characteristics of science that make it falsifiable
- objective
- reliable
- valid
- casual
- repeatable (standardised procedures)
- controlled
definition of concept: determinism
An individual’s behaviour is controlled by external or internal forces rather than the individual’s will to do something.
definition of concept: free will
Individuals are free to choose their behaviour, and are not constrained by other factors (biology, environment etc).
definition of concept: reductionism
Explaining behaviour by breaking down complex phenomena into its most simple components.
definition of concept: Holism
Looking at the whole. We cannot predict how the whole system will behave from knowledge of the individual components
definition of concept: useful applications
Providing practical applications that are useful and effective intreating patients or improving life outcomes for people.
definition of concept: Nomothetic
The study of large numbers of people with the aim of making laws/theories which can be generalised to all people.
definition of concept: idiographic
The study of individuals and the unique insights this can give us into human behaviour.
definition of concept: science
Is it falsifiable? Does it have: objectivity? Reliability? Is it valid? It is testing causal relationships? Is it controlled or valid?
what is the strength(s) for: determinism
- Allows for the development of laws; forms the basis of science.
- Establishes cause and effect to enable predictions to be made.
what is the strength(s) for: freewill
Offers an empowering view to individuals who can control their destiny
what is the strength(s) for: reductionsim
- It means we can isolate one factor and research it or treat problems by focussing on it.
- Cause and effect relationships can be found.
what is the strength(s) for: Holism
It offers a better understanding of human behaviour as it takes into account more factors, including complex ones.
what is the strength(s) for: useful applications
It benefits those who receive therapy & provides further evidence that the underlying principles of the approach are correct.
what is the strength(s) for: Nomothetic
- Considered to be very scientific; it is easy to replicate and you can generalise.
- Treatments developed can be widely distributed.
what is the strength(s) for: idiographic
Recognises the role that individuals play in human behaviour.
what is the strength(s) for: science
People are more likely to see the research or approach as credible if it has been conducted in a scientific way.
what is the weakness(s) for: Determinism
- Underestimates the uniqueness of individuals & their freedom to choose their destiny.
- May remove individual responsibility for actions.
what is the weakness(s) for:freewill
Individuals are responsible for their actions. We are all capable of self-control, which may not always be the case.
what is the weakness(s) for: reductionism
It may offer explanations that are too simplistic
what is the weakness(s) for: holism
Not a scientific view; it makes researching and treating problems very complex.
what is the weakness(s) for: useful applications
N/A
what is the weakness(s) for: Nomothetic
ignores individual differences
what is the weakness(s) for: idiographic
- Makes it harder to apply laws of human behaviour to everyone and develop treatments.
- Also harder to investigate in a scientific way.
what is the weakness(s) for: science
N/A
Is the behaviourist approach determinism or free will + strengths and weakness
- determinism:
- assumption 1 (tabula rasa): we’re the product of our interactions with out environment, through stimulus and response
- STRENGTH: develop scientific laws because we can establish cause + effect. Therefore because everything is learnt = can be unlearnt
- WEAKNESS: ignores individual differences (we might not learn the same, –> behaviour might not be determinable
Is the behaviourist approach reductionism or holism + strengths and weakness
- Reductionism
- Assumption 2: Behaviour learned through conditioning: we’ve broken down complex human behaviour into being a result of individual conditioning stages
- STRENGTH: individual factors can be isolated and experimented on in order to explain cause + effect, e.g. if we identify the association that causes addiction, we can unlearn it
- WEAKNESS: may offer too simplistic explanations: different people have different hormone balances, genetics, childhoods, etc
Is the behaviourist approach useful/not useful + strengths and weakness
- Useful
- use it in therapy: aversion therapy (treat addiction + remove unwanted behaviour)
- use it for children: schools (+R/P, token economy - note token economy is also used in prisons)
STRENGTH - for society: encourages normal behaviour and motivated individuals
- for individuals: remove addiction/phobias
- for economy: treatment costs less then the cause
WEAKNESS
- for economy: treatment costs less then the cause
- n/a
Is the behaviourist approach idiographic or Nomothetic + strengths and weakness
- Nomothetic
- the general laws for behaviourist approach: we ALL learn thru conditioning, we are ALL born a tabula rasa, we are ALL products of our environment
STRENGTHS - you can make predictions (increasing the generalisability), therefore able to suggest appropriate treatments
WEAKNESS - ignores individual diffs: ignoring - the difference between humans and animals (our emotions/our brain)
Is the behaviourist approach Nature or nurture+ strengths and weakness
- Nurture
- assumption 1: NO INHERENT PERSONALITY, we’re products of our environment —> S-R + cond.
STRENGTH - we can change our behaviour by reconditioning: we can change our environment but not our biology
WEAKNESS - Over simplifies it all: instead we should focus on the interactionist perspective (both nature and nurture)
Is the behaviourist approach scientific or unscientific + strengths and weakness
- scientific
- its: objective, reliable, valid + you can falsify it ——> therefore its scientific
STRENGTH - it has credibility + its observable (unlike Freud’s concept of id)
WEAKNESS - some things (due to ethics) can’t be studied scientifically
