**L2 - Behaviourist Approach (Classical Conditioning)

Question 1

what are the 3 key assumptions of the behaviourist approach?

Answer 1

1) this approach is only conerned with observable behaviour that can be OBJECTIVELY AND SCIENTIFICALLY MEASURED
2) ALL BEHAVIOUR IS LEARNT from the environment and can be reduced to a STIMULUS-RESPONSE association
3) there is little difference between the learning that takes place is humans and non-human animals - therefore research can be carried out on animals as well as humans

Question 2

what is classical conditioning?

Answer 2

the behaviourist approach suggests that all behaviour is LEARNT rather than being innate or inherited from parents.

One way in which behaviour can be learnt is via CLASSICAL CONDITIONING, which is LEARNING THROUGH ASSOCIATION. A stimulus produces the same response as another stimulus because they have been consistently presented at the same time.

Question 3

who was IVAN PAVLOV and what did he do?

Answer 3

IVAN PAVLOV was a RUSSIAN PHYSIOLOGIST, he discovered the process of classical conditioning.

He was investigating the SALIVATING REFLEX in dogs when he noticed that dogs would not only salivate when food was placed in their mouths, but also when certain stimuli appeared, e.g their dog bowl or the person who fed them. This led PAVLOV to explore to experiment further, he wanted to see if he could TEACH THE DOGS to salivate WHEN HE RANG A BELL

Question 4

what was going on in IVAN PAVLOV’S CLASSICAL CONDITIONING EXPERIMENT before conditioning?

Answer 4

BEFORE CONDITIONING - food was an UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS that produced the reflex of salivating, which is an UNCONDITIONED RESPONSE. The bell was a NEUTRAL STIMULUS that produced NO CONDITIONED RESPONSE

Question 5

what was going on in IVAN PAVLOV’S CLASSICAL CONDITIONING EXPERIMENT during conditioning?

Answer 5

DURING CONDITIONING - the UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS (food) was REPEATEDLY PAIRED with the NEUTRAL STIMULUS (bell), eventually the dog ASSOCIATED THE BELL WITH FOOD

Question 6

what was going on in IVAN PAVLOV’S CLASSICAL CONDITIONING EXPERIMENT after conditioning?

Answer 6

AFTER CONDITIONING - the bell was a CONDITIONED STIMULUS that made the dogs salivate which was a CONDITIONED RESPONSE