C1 - Behavioural Approach AO1 Key Terms Flashcards
Humans are born like a blank slate
One of the assumptions of the behavioural approach which believes when we are born our mind is ‘tabula rasa’ and that all our behaviour is learned from interactions with the environment.
Environmental Determinism
Believes our behaviour is controlled and laid out by the area we grow up in and by the people we spend time with.
Behaviour learned through conditioning
One of the assumptions of the behavioural approach which believes we learn through two types of conditioning.
Classical conditioning
Behaviours are learned through association.
Unconditioned stimulus
Something that you naturally respond to, for example food
Unconditioned response
A naturally occurring reaction to a stimulus, such as salivation
Neutral stimulus
An object that you wouldn’t normally respond tom for example a bell.
Conditioned stimulus
An object you have been trained to respond to, such as a bell.
Conditioned response
A reaction to an object you have been trained to respond to, such as salivation
Operant conditioning
Behaviours are learned through reinforcement or punishment
Reinforcement
Something that will increase the chance that a behaviour will occur again
Punishment
Something that will decrease the chance that a behaviour will occur again
Positive reinforcement
Being given a reward for suitable behaviour, for example given money for tidying your room, makes you more likely to repeat the behaviour in future.
Negative reinforcement
Having something bad removed strengthens behaviour because it involves escaping something unpleasant, for example completing homework to avoid detention, makes you more likely to complete homework in the future to avoid threat of detention
Positive punishment
Receiving an undesirable reaction to behaviour you exhibit, for example, getting smacked for answering your parents back, makes you less likely to answer back in future.
