BEHAVIOURIST Assumptions

Question 1

What is the behaviorist view on human nature?

Answer 1

Humans are born neutral with no personality, and behavior is shaped by the environment.

Question 2

What does the behaviorist approach focus on?

Answer 2

The study of observable behavior through scientific methods.

Question 3

What is the role of thoughts and feelings in behaviorism?

Answer 3

Thoughts and feelings exist but are not considered worthy of study in behaviorism.

Question 4

How can human behavior be explained according to behaviorists?

Answer 4

Behavior can be reduced to stimulus-response relationships.

Question 5

What is the concept of “Tabula Rasa”?

Answer 5

Humans are born as a “blank slate” with no built-in mental content.

Question 6

What is the belief about internal events in behaviorism?

Answer 6

Internal events like thinking and emotion do not drive behavior.

Question 7

What influences human behavior most in the behaviorist view?

Answer 7

Social and environmental factors.

Question 8

What is environmental determinism?

Answer 8

The belief that our behavior is determined by the environment we grew up in.

Question 9

What does Assumption 2 of behaviorism state about learning?

Answer 9

Behavior is learned through conditioning (both classical and operant).

Question 10

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 10

Learning through association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response.

Question 11

What did Ivan Pavlov discover?

Answer 11

Classical conditioning through his experiments with dogs.

Question 12

In classical conditioning, what is the unconditioned stimulus (UCS)?

Answer 12

A stimulus that naturally triggers a response (e.g., food causing salivation).

Question 13

In classical conditioning, what is the unconditioned response (UCR)?

Answer 13

A natural, unlearned response to the UCS (e.g., salivation when seeing food).

Question 14

In classical conditioning, what is the neutral stimulus (NS)?

Answer 14

A stimulus that initially produces no specific response (e.g., metronome).

Question 15

What happens during the conditioning process in classical conditioning?

Answer 15

The neutral stimulus is paired with the unconditioned stimulus, leading to a conditioned response.

Question 16

What happens after conditioning in classical conditioning?

Answer 16

The neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) and triggers a conditioned response (CR).

Question 17

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 17

Learning through consequences, using rewards and punishments to alter behavior.

Question 18

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 18

Adding a desirable stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

Question 19

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 19

Removing an undesirable stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

Question 20

What is positive punishment?

Answer 20

Adding an undesirable stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

Question 21

What is negative punishment?

Answer 21

Removing a desirable stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

Question 22

What is the Skinner Box?

Answer 22

A device used by B.F. Skinner to study operant conditioning in animals, involving rewards and punishments.

Question 23

What can be conditioned using operant conditioning?

Answer 23

Desired behavior can be conditioned in animals using reinforcement or punishment.

Question 24

What is Assumption 3 of behaviorism?

Answer 24

Humans and animals learn in similar ways through stimulus-response relationships.

Question 25

How are principles of classical and operant conditioning applied to humans?

Answer 25

They are generalized from animals to humans and used to explain human behavior.

Question 26

How has classical conditioning been used in real-life?

Answer 26

It has been used to treat phobias.

Question 27

How has operant conditioning been applied in real-life?

Answer 27

It has been used to shape behavior in schools.

Question 28

What is an example of relationship formation through operant conditioning?

Answer 28

Positive reinforcement like attention or compliments in a relationship can encourage the behavior of spending time with that person.

Question 29

How can avoiding loneliness be reinforcing in relationships?

Answer 29

Successfully avoiding feelings of loneliness or rejection in relationships reinforces the desire to spend time with others.

Question 30

What role does punishment play in relationships?

Answer 30

Punishment, like being excluded from events, can decrease the likelihood of someone wanting to be alone.

Question 31

How does classical conditioning apply to relationship formation?

Answer 31

People are more likely to like others who are associated with pleasant events.

Question 32

How does the emotional state influence relationships in classical conditioning?

Answer 32

Meeting someone while happy can make us more inclined to like them compared to meeting them when unhappy.

Question 33

What happens to a previously neutral stimulus in classical conditioning in relationships?

Answer 33

It can become positively valued when associated with a pleasant event (e.g., meeting someone during a happy moment).