behaviourist perspective Flashcards
what are the key assumptions of the behaviourist perspective?
psychology should study observable behaviour
we are products of our environment
we acquire behaviour through learning
what are the three types of learning associated with the behaviourist perspective?
classic conditioning
operant conditioning
social learning theory
what is some research that can be used to illustrate the behaviourist perspective?
chaney : positive reinforcement because it is illustrating another way in which children’s behaviour can be influenced by external factors, the results found increased adherence, due to the positive reinforcement provided by the funhaler
bandura : observational experiment where children observed male and female role models behaving aggressively or passively towards a bobo doll, it was evident that the behaviour of the role model had been learned through observation with researchers witnessing direct imitation of the role models behaviour
what is a strength of the behaviourist perspective?
it provides a wide range of useful applications in terms of behavioural therapies
- can be used to benefit or change people’s lives because interventions can be put into place to help
findings can be scientifically tested and observable behaviour is objective and scientifically measured
- research in the perspective is often reliable, standardised and enables cause and effect to be established
what is a weakness of the behaviourist perspective?
it is a reductionist approach as it ignores the complexities of human functioning
- oversimplifies human behaviour ignoring other factors and reducing validity
there are ethical problems associated with the perspective
- children may be used in procedures which might potentially cause harm
