Describe And Discuss The Behaviourist Approach: Compare With Biological

Question 1

AO1: describe the behaviourist approach

Answer 1

The behaviourist approach believes that all behaviour is learnt directly through operant and classical conditioning. Classical conditioning was investigated by Pavlov and looked at learning through association, where a neutral stimulus is becomes a conditioned stimulus when combined with an unconditioned stimulus repeatedly over time; whereas operant conditioning is learning through reinforcement and punishment. The aim of positive and negative reinforcement is to increase the likelihood that a certain behaviour will occur again, however the aim of punishment is to decrease the likelihood of a certain behaviour happening again.

Question 2

AO3 - Determinism

Answer 2

• the behaviourist approach is environmental deterministic. Skinner stated that our past conditioning history determines the outcome of the choices we make. This ignores any possible influence that free will may have on behaviour
• the biological approach is biologically deterministic as it sees human behaviour as governed by internal, biological causes in which we don’t have any control over. This has implications on the legal system and wider society as the discovery of a ‘criminal gene’, if on exists may implicate the moral and legal basis criminals are sentenced on

Question 3

AO3 - deterministic

Answer 3

*both have scientific credibility
*behaviourism was able to bring the language and methods of natural science into psychology by focusing the measurement of observable behaviour in highly controlled lab setting. Behaviourism emphasised the importance of objectivity and replication to give psychology and higher credibility and status

*the biological approach uses the scientific method, particulars the experimental method as its main method of investigation. Experimental studies take place in highly controlled lab settings so that other researchers can replicate the experiment under the same condition, thus adding to the validity to the original findings. The use of sophisticated imaging techniques such as MRI’s has increased the precision and objectivity of experimental research in the area

Question 4

AO3 - reductionism

Answer 4

*the behavioural approach is reductionist because it reduces complex behaviours down to simple stimulus response
* the biological approach is also reductionist in the sense that it reduces complex behaviour, but into genes and neurochemicals. The biological approach being reductionist may be useful because reducing mental disorders into neurochemical imbalances or genes makes the easier to investigate scientifically, but ignores other factors like cultural, emotional and cognitive factors.

Question 5

AO3 - native vs nurture

Answer 5

The behavioural approach is based on the idea of nurture because it believes that we are implicated by our environment and observable events like stimuli and response and the conditions under which learning would occur.

However, the biological approach cannot separate nature and nurture. For instance, biological twin, non-identical twins and members of the same family all have genetic similarities. The biological approach argues that any similarities in the way they look and behave must be genetic. However they are also exposed to environmental conditions so the findings can be interpreted as nature vs nurture.