Behaviourist Approach - Intro

Question 1

What does the behaviourist approach say about our personalities

Answer 1

• we are born neutral, without personality
• It’s the environment that shapes who you are

Question 2

How do behaviourists believe human behaviour should be measured

Answer 2

• scientifically
• not unmeasurable stuff (e.g. thoughts and feelings)
• we can only study with scientific objectivity about behaviour itself

Question 3

What is the preferred method of research

Answer 3

Controlled observations

Question 4

What do they believe behaviour can be reduced down to

Answer 4

Stimulus-response relationships
- stimulus: external event we respond to
- response: behaviour produced in response to stimuli

Question 5

What are the 3 assumptions

Answer 5

1. Humans are born like a blank slate
2. Behaviour is learned through conditioning
3. Humans and animals learn in similar ways