L2) Behaviourist approach

Question 1

Briefly explain the behaviourism approach

Answer 1

Everyone is born with a ‘blank slate’. Behaviour explained in terms of classical (association) and operant (consequences) conditioning (learning). The environment determines our behaviour.

Question 2

What are the four behaviourist assumptions?

Answer 2

1. explaining behaviour
2. scientific method
3. animal research
4. concept of free will

Question 3

what do behaviourists argue about explaining behaviour?

Answer 3

Believe the mental processes are not as important as the role of environment and experience → reject the introspection as too much subjectivity.

Question 4

What do behaviourists argue about the scientific method?

Answer 4

They are interested in observable and measurable phenomena such as reactions,salivation,avoidance.

• Focuses on objective,scientific behaviour that is observable phenomena → should follow the methodology of science

Question 5

What do they argue about animal research?

Answer 5

Adopt the principal humans are just animals and they argue animal research is strongly generalizable to most things.

Question 6

What do they argue about the concept of free will

Answer 6

Argues that behaviour is determined by the environment. → and that free will is an illusion as behaviourism is environmentally determinist

Question 7

What is the key concept Pavlov came up with?

Answer 7

Classical conditioning

Question 8

Define the term classical conditioning?

Answer 8

learning through association

Question 9

How did pavlov discover classical conditioning?

Answer 9

nvestigated the salivary reflex in dogs - when he noticed that they would start salivating before the food bowl or the person who brought food.

• Food UCS → caused salivation UCR
• Bell (NS) → no response
• Bell (NS) and food (UCS) matched → as conditioned elicits its own response CR of salivation

Question 10

What is meant by the term extinction?

Answer 10

If the conditioned stimulus is presented without the food the conditioned response will slowly disappear.

Question 11

What is meant by the term spontaneous recovery?

Answer 11

Even though the conditioned response seems to be extinct, sometimes they will react to the conditioned stimulus.

Question 12

What is meant by the term stimulus generaliseation?

Answer 12

The conditioned stimulus could be changed slightly and result in the conditioned response still, e.g. the tone of the bell.
However past a certain point it becomes too different, no response produced.

Question 13

What is meant by the term law of teporal contiguity (Timing)

Answer 13

To form the association between the NS and UCS the two stimuli have to be presented together.
Such as the food and the bell

Question 14

What key term did skinner identify?

Answer 14

A form of learning through behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences.
Learning through consequences

Question 15

How did skinner discover the process of operant conditioning?

Answer 15

Argues that organisms spontaneously behave

• Some behaviours have a more positive or negative consequence and so are repeated more or less
• He developed the ‘skinner box’ to investigate the learning of rats. Would initially explore and eventually accidentally press the lever → resulting in a food pellet.
  Quickly learns to press it again for food - eventually food stops appearing so the rat stops pressing the lever

Animal learns through positive reinorcement to pull lever and was rewarded with food

Question 16

Define the term positive reinforcement?

Answer 16

Receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed - giving something desirable

Question 17

Define the term negative reinforcement?

Answer 17

Taking away something aversive (which is therefore a good outcome) → encourages behaviour
Skinner used this by taking away the electric shocks → when the lever was pulled

Question 18

Define the term punishment

Answer 18

An unpleasant consequence of behaviour (electric shock) etc

Question 19

Define the term schedules of reinforcement?

Answer 19

How often consequences follow : continuous (everytime) partial (not every time) or variable (randomly)

• Continuous is best for establishing behaviour / Variable is maintaining it.
• Skinner rewarded them randomly → as kept the rat doing the behaviour

Question 20

What are the strengths - identify them?

Answer 20

• rwa
• scientific credibility

Question 21

Explain the scientific credibility strength + counter point

Answer 21

• Was able to bring the language and methods of natural sciences to psychology by focusing on measurements of observable behaviour with ^ controlled lab settings
• Emphasising the importance of scientific processes allows → objectivity and replication behaviourism was influential in the development of psychology as a scientific discipline
  Increasing scientific credibility

Is largely artificial and → lacks mundane realism / ecological validity / external validity leading us to question the real life value of behaviourism as it looks at

Question 22

Explain the real world application - prisons

Answer 22

Operant conditioning is the basis of token economy systems that have been used successfully in institutions such as prisons and psychiatric hospitals

• Work by rewarding appropriate behaviour with tokens exchanged with privileges
• The treatments such as these have the advantage of requiring less effort from client as don’t have to think about their problems -> suitable for clients who lack insight

Question 23

Explain the real world application with link to the psychopathology unit and counter point

Answer 23

One strength is real world application → lead to treatments of phobias
Doesn’t work all the time → not a complete way as does not work on all so a third factor must be influencing so can be critiqued for being

Question 24

Identify the two limitations

Answer 24

• use of animals
• reductionist / oversimplification

Question 25

Explain the use of animals evaluaiton and counter point

Answer 25

Humanists critique it
Oversimplification → question generalisability
learning processes are very similar

But did use mammals → so the generalisation could not be as much of an issue
Rats dogs and humans are all mammals because the learning processes are very similar

Question 26

Explain the reductionism / oversimplification evaluation point

Answer 26

Critiques for being environmentally determinism
Ignores internal factors such as → genetics / thinkings/ emotions
OCD → research shows genetics can cause such as low serotonin
Behaviourism is limited as fails to acknowledge alternative factors such as genetics

Model para
An oversimplification as it only explains behaviour in terms of environmental factors such as reinforcement. However, twin studies have shown that OCD concordance are higher for MZ and DZ twins, meaning a genetic basis occurs.This matters because it demonstrates the role of biological factors in behaviour, which the behaviourist approach ignores. Therefore,behaviourism is at best a partial explanation for behaviour.