Classic and contemporary study - Learning theories Flashcards
What is the aim of the classic study?
To demonstrate simple emotional responses such as fear can be acquired through classical conditioning
What is the procedure of the classic study?
Little Albert was showed a range of objects e.g. white rat, rabbit, dog and showed no response to any of these
Session 1 - Albert was taken to a lab. A white rat was presented to him. When he reached towards the rat a bar was struck loudly behind her head
Session 2 - A week later Albert was exposed 5 times to the rat and loud noise. He was tested with blocks and wasn’t scared
Session 3 - Five days later Albert returned and his responses to the rat and a range of other objects were assessed
Session 4 - Albert was taken to a new environment - a lecture room with 4 people and was assessed with objects again
Session 5 - Albert was tested one month later
What were the findings of the classic study?
-In session 1 he reacted to the noise by crying
-In session 2 he was more cautious about touching the rat
-In session 3 Albert reacted to white furry things with fear
-In session 4 and 5 his fear was a bit less when moved too a new environment
What is the conclusion of the classic study?
It is relatively easy to condition an emotional response to a neutral stimulus
Evaluation of classic study
-Strength is design of study had clever features that reduced extraneous variables and enhanced internal validity e.g. procedure took place in a well controlled room to prevent influence of other stimuli. This is important because controls used make it likely Albert’s behaviour was based in classical conditioning, not extraneous variables. However, the rabbit was suddenly placed in front of Albert and a reluctant dog was pushed towards him. These actions might have triggered fear responses rather than the animals themselves
-Weakness is only used 1 participant. This reduces generalisability because Albert may have not represented the wider population. Therefore, results might have been affected by participant variables as this was a n=1 study
-Strength is clinical applications in understanding how we acquire phobias. Psychologists now have a good understanding of how phobias are acquired which has led to development of effective therapies. This application has demonstrated its significance in shaping clinical practise
What is the aim of the contemporary study?
To investigate impact of Western attitudes on eating behaviours and related attitude of teenage girls
What is the procedure of the contemporary study?
-Sample consisted of 63 ethnic Fijian girls with mean age of 17
-Participants were interviewed and completed the EAT-26 questionnaire individually
-Height/weight of participants also measured
-Girls who scored over threshold for dysfunctional eating based on the EAT-26 were given further interviews
What are the findings of the contemporary study?
-TV viewing increased
-Scores of dysfunctional eating increased, 29.2% of girls scoring over the threshold
-74% of girls felt they were too large and 69% had dieted which is alien to Fijian culture
-Interviews suggested girls considered TV characters as role models
What is the conclusion of the contemporary study?
Women in Western TV programmes become role models for Fijian girls leading to them desiring thinner bodies which led to a rise in dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviour
Evaluation of contemporary study
-Strength is use of reliable procedures to measure eating behaviour e.g. Rivas et al (2010) found good internal reliability. This means the differences between 1995 and 1998 group were likely to be due to real changes overtime. However, issues with validity on EAT-26 e.g. we’d expect that scores on EAT-26 would predict eating disorders but that wasn’t the case with Brazilian women
-Weakness is it involved an unrepresentative sample so findings aren’t generalisable. Fiji population has distinct body types e.g. high BMIs. Therefore, results might have been affected by culture and tell us little about effect of TV on body image
-Strength is application for tackling eating disorders. This can be applied to advice for TV programme and advertising. This demonstrates its significance in both avoiding and treating eating disorders
