Learning Approach Flashcards
What is in the learning approach
Classical conditioning- Pavlov
Operant conditioning- skinner
Social learning theory- Bandura
What is the key assumption of the learning approach
- all behaviour is learned
- either through association, rewards and punishment, or through observation
- all Bork as blank slates
- behaviour is a result of our behaviour
What is classical conditioning and give examples
- learned through association
- little Albert learning to associate the white rat with the loud banging noise
What happened in pavlovs experiment
- used dogs
- the dogs learned to associate the sound of a bell with their food, to extent that after a while they began to salivate just when they heard the sound of the bell
Pavlovs dogs
Unconditioned stimulus
Food
Pavlovs dogs
Unconditioned response
Salivation
Before conditioning and during
Neutral stimulus
Bell
Before and during conditioning
Conditioned stimulus
Bell
After conditioning
Conditional response
Salivation after conditioning
What is operant conditioning
- learned through rewards and punishment
What is positive reinforcement
Being praised by a parent
- being rewarded so the behaviour is likely to be repeated
What is negative reinforcement
- child being aggressive and that behaviour is punished so the behaviour is less likely to be repeated
- avoiding the punishment will strengthen the avoidance of aggression
Which experiment links to operant conditioning
Skinners box
Rat experiment
What happened to the rat during skinners experiment
- when the rat pressed a lever they were rewarded with a pellet of food - positive reinforcement
- this meant the rat was likely to continue this behaviour
- the floor was electrified as a punishment for if the rat pressed the lever when the red light was on
- rat avoided this by not pressing the lever when the red light was on
- negative reinforcement
What id skinner condition
- conditioned rats and then later birds to complete complex tasks such as responding to certain words or certain lights
- simply through rewards and punishment
Evaluation of classical and operant conditioning
:) scientific methods are used
:) leads to practical applications such as operant conditioning to train guide dogs
:( research is conducted on animals, can’t really generalise to humans as we are more complex
:( deterministic- some people have been excused for their crimes they have committed be chase they are a product of the environment
What are the basic assumptions of social learning theory
- behaviour is learned from the environment
- behaviour is learned from observing others and the rewards and punishment they receive
Who came up with the famous social learning theory experiment
Bandura
Procedure of banduras experiment
- participants aged 3-6 were shown adults playing in a room of toys.
- they either saw:
- adult playing aggressively with a bobo doll
- adult playing nicely with a bobo doll
- nothing
What did the children who were watching an aggressive model see
- all viewed the same action
- kicking, throwing in the air
- same phrase
- pow, bang
What did Bandura find
- those who watched the aggressive model behaved aggressively
- other two groups showed significant less aggression
- children repeated a significant amount of the standardised actions and phrases
- boys produced more physical aggression, but verbal aggression was the same
Conclusion of banduras experiment
Those who watch aggressive behaviour will act in an aggressive way
What is imitation
Used to describe when the individual copies a behaviour
What is identification
It helps if the individual identifies with the model. They may be a role model like a parent or a sports star
What is modelling
They person who is being observed
What is vicarious reinforcement
The term used to describe when the individual sees a model receive a reward or punishment.
What is the mediating processes in social learning theory
- Bandura didn’t suggest we imitate everything we see
- there were a series of mediating factors that took place in between observing the behaviour and then deciding whether or not to imitate
What are the four factors leading to social learning
- A: paying attention to the model
- R: being stable to remember the action
- A: having the ability to replicate the action
- M: being motivated to replicate the action
What was banduras further research
- showed all children an adult playing aggressively with the bobo doll
- showed three different endings
- model was rewarded
- model was punished
- no consequences
What were the results from this further Bandura study
- the group watching the model being rewarded were more likely to act aggressively
- then no consequence
- then the group who saw the adult being punished being the least aggressive
- supports the importance of motivation in social learning theory
Evaluation of social learning theory
:) can explain why certain behaviours are imitated such as smoking or aggressive behaviour
:) combines thought processes with the behaviourist principle making it a holistic theory
:( the research was highly artificial and can be accused of being prone to demand characteristics
:( could be used to excuse people from their crimes
