Behaviourist Assumptions

Question 1

(1) What does Tabula Rasa mean?

Answer 1

Humans are not born with any in built mental content

Question 2

(1) What does assumption 1 believe how we learn behaviour?

Answer 2

Behaviour is learnt from interactions with the environment

Question 3

(1) Does assumption 1 believe in nature or nuture?

Answer 3

Nuture - Social and environment factors have the greatest influence

Question 4

(1) What is environmental determinism?

Answer 4

Behaviour determined by the environment we have grown up in

Question 5

(2) What are the 2 types of conditioning?

Answer 5

Classical and operant

Question 6

(2) What is classical conditioning?

Answer 6

Learning by association

Question 7

(2) How does classical condtioning work?

Answer 7

If an association is made between a previously unlearned response, and a neutral stimulus. If the 2 are paired enough, eventually the neutral stimulus will produce the unlearned response

Question 8

(2) What did Ivan Pavlov (1849-1946) do and find?

Answer 8

He experimented on dogs and found that he could condition the dog to salivate when they heard a metronome

Question 9

(2) What is operant conditioning?

Answer 9

Learning through consequence. Rewards and punishments are used to alter our behaviour

Question 10

(2) What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 10

Desirable item is given in order that a behaviour will be repeated

Question 11

(2) What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 11

Undesirable is taken away in order that a behaviour will be repeated

Question 12

(2) What is positive punishment?

Answer 12

Undesirable is given in order that a beahviour will not be repeated

Question 13

(2) What is negative punishment?

Answer 13

Desirable is taken away so that a behaviour will not be repeated

Question 14

(2) What was Skinners Box?

Answer 14

Contained a lever for an animal (rat/pigeon) to press for food to be delivered. Also contained speakers and lights could be used to trigger a behaviour and a shock generator was connected to the floor to deliver an electric shock

Question 15

(2) How was Skinners Box used to easily condition the animal?

Answer 15

The experimenter was in complete control over the environment so the desired behaviour could be conditioned

Question 16

(2) How would the rat learn to get the food?

Answer 16

Positive reinforcement

Question 17

(3) What do behaviourists believe about animals and humans?

Answer 17

Both humans and animals are products of their environment, and all behaviour is determined by stimulus response relationships

Question 18

(3) How has generalising from animals to humans helped classical conditioning therapies?

Answer 18

Used to treat phobias in systematic desentitisation and addiction in aversion therapy

Question 19

(3) How has generalising from animals to humans helped operant conditioning therapies?

Answer 19

Used to shape behaviour in prisons and schools through the use of token economy

Question 20

(3) Have conditioning therapies worked?

Answer 20

Reasonably successful so suggests that generalising from animals to humans may have some validity