Behavourist Approach AO3

Question 1

Strength

Answer 1

-based on well-controlled research
-breaking down behaviour into basic stimulus-response units, all other possible extraneous variables were removed
-skinner was able to clearly demonstrate how reinforcement influenced an animal’s behaviour
-suggests that behaviourist experiments have scientific credibility.

Question 2

Counterpoint

Answer 2

-problem with this is that behaviourists may have oversimplified the learning process
-behaviourists may have ignored an important influence on learning - that of human thought.
-social learning theory and the cognitive approach have drawn attention to mental processes involved in learning
-suggests that learning is more complex than observable behaviour alone

Question 3

Strength

Answer 3

-the principles of conditioning have been applied to real-world behaviours and problems.
-OC is the basis of token economy systems that have been used successfully in institutions e.g. prisons and psychiatric wards
-these work by rewarding appropriate behaviour with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges.
-increases the value of the behaviourist approach because it has widespread application

Question 4

Limitation

Answer 4

-sees all behaviour as conditioned by past conditioning experiences
-skinner suggested that everything we do is the sum total of our reinforcement history
-ignores any possible influence that free will may have on behaviour
-extreme position and ignores the influence of conscious decision-making processes on behaviour