DRAINS

Question 1

Behaviourist DRAINS: determinist + & -

Answer 1

+ Environmentally deterministic, behaviour shaped by experiences and reinforcement
Predictable, allows for SD
Behaviour can be relearned

• Ignores free will & personal choice
  Cognitive psychologists argue make decisions e.g. resist reinforcement
  Not external alone, overly simplistic

Question 2

Behaviourist DRAINS: reductionist + & -

Answer 2

+ Reductionist, reduces behaviour to stimulus- response associations
Easier to study as variables can be controlled, e.g. Pavlov’s dogs replicable and reliable

• Ignores important factors such as thoughts, emotions, genetics
  Bandura’s Social Learning theory (SLT) suggests behaviour not just direct reinforcement but observation and imitation
  Behaviourism fails to explain learning in real world situations.

Question 3

behaviourist DRAINS: applications +

Answer 3

+ In therapy, education, behaviour management
Phobia treatment: SD & flooding use CC
Education: positive reinforcement encourage learning
Token Economy Systems: Skinner’s rats > prisons & psychiatric hospitals.
Behaviourism benefits both society and individual’s lives.

Question 4

Behaviourist DRAINS: nomothetic -

Answer 4

• Attempts to apply universal laws, however, ignores individual difference
  Some react differently due to personality
  SD not work for all
  Limitations when generalising principles to human behaviour

Question 5

Behaviourist DRAINS: nurture -

Answer 5

• Entirely nurture based, all learned from environment, however, biological argues genetics, brain chemistry, hormones
  Twin studies show genetics influence intelligence
  Ignores innate drives
  Incomplete explanation at best

Question 6

Behaviourist DRAINS: scientific methods + & -

Answer 6

+ Advantage is highly scientific
Pavlov & Skinner controlled lab experiments
Objective, measurable, replicable
Allows psychology to be studied as a science.

• Most research on animals
  Humans are more complex
  Little Albert lacked ethical considerations
  May not be applicable

Question 7

Behaviourist DRAINS: conclusion

Answer 7

Highly scientific and reliable with many real world applications
However, fails to acknowledge contribution of free will to human behaviour, individual difference and complexity difference in humans and animals, along with innate factors such as genetics.
Incomplete explanation for behaviour, biological and cognitive.