Learning Approach: Behaviourism Flashcards
Give 3 assumptions of the behaviourist approach.
-All behaviour is acquired and maintained through classical and operant conditioning.
-Animals and humans learn in the same way.
-Only behaviours which can be observed should be studied.
Outline Pavlov’s research on classical conditioning.
-Presented dogs with food - UCS
-Paired bell with food - NS
-Dogs salivated at sight of food - UCR
-Through multiple pairings of the bell and food, dogs began associating bell with food.
-Resulted in sound of bell making dogs salivate.
-Bell became CS, salivation became CR.
What are the 2 key studies of the behaviourist approach?
Pavlov’s dogs & Skinner’s rats.
Outline Skinner’s research on operant conditioning.
-Created the Skinner box - cage with a lever.
-Positive reinforcement: when rat accidentally pressed lever, it was rewarded with a food pellet.
-Negative reinforcement: rat presses lever to avoid an electric shock.
What is meant by ‘extinction’ ?
When a conditioned stimulus no longer elicits a conditioned response.
What is meant by ‘spontaneous recovery’ ?
The sudden appearance of a previously extinct conditioned response.
Is behaviourism a nomothetic approach?
Yes, it establishes laws which apply to all people and humans and animals.
What is the difference between negative reinforcement and punishment?
NR increases the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated whereas punishment decreases the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated.
What are 2 strengths of the behaviourist approach?
- Increased scientific credibility of psychology.
-Research rejects introspection and emphasises objective, measurable phenomena.
-Pavlov + Skinner use well controlled lab studies - allows cause + effect to be established. - Token economy systems: based off of operant conditioning, behaviour rewarded with tokens which can be exchanged for rewards. Can be used in schools to encourage academic success.
What is a limitation of the behaviourist approach?
Animals used rather than humans in studies.
