learning approach-the behaviourist approach Flashcards
what is an unconditioned stimulus
an unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that naturally, automatically triggers a response
what is an uncondtioned response
the non-learnt response that occurs naturally in response to the unconditoned stimulus
what is a neutral stimulus
a stimulus that does not elicit a response
what is a conditioned stimulus
a previously neutral stimulus that after being pared with the unconditioned stimulus now elicits a conditioned response
what is a conditioned response
the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus
how does classical conditioning state we learn
through association
what was Pavlovs experiment
-dogs were conditioned to associate the sound of the bell(NS) with food (UCS)
-this resulted in the dogs producing a salivation response (CR) to the bell (CS) even when no food was present
what was pavlovs conclusion
that repeated exposure to an event leads to learned and controllable behaviour.
can be used to explain acquisition of phobias and development of attachment
what is complete conditioning
complete condtioning is when the CS always produces the CR
what happens before conditioning
UCS—>UCR
what happens during conditioning
NS+UCS—>UCR
what happens after conditioning
CS—>CR
how does classical conditioninf work
by repeating the connection between the CS and UCS
what is stimulus generalisation
if the stimulus has characteristics close to the conditioned stimulus associations will still be made so it will still produce that conditioned response
what is stimulus discrimination
if the stimulus has characteristics that are too different from the conditioned stimulus associations will not be made so it will not produce the conditioned response
what is time contiguity
associations will only be made if the NS and UCS are present around the same time. If the time lapse between them is too great no associations will be made
supporting research for classical conditioning
watson and rayner presented little albert with a white rate to which he wasnt afraid of.
as he approached the white rate a noise sounded behind him. This was repeated x6
then when the rat was presented he was frightened and pulled away from it
he was conditioned to be scared of the rat.
he found other white furry objects scary-stimulus generalization
ethics of little alberts study
-he wasnt protected from psychological harm
+gained consent from mother
+they did try to debrief him but he left
+confidentiality-psydonmym
what is operant conditioning
The way in which voluntary behaviors are learnt
learning through consequences
what is positive reinforcement
to encourage someone to repeat a behavior by giving them something pleasant
what is negative reinforcement
to encourage someone to repeat a behavior by removing something unpleasant
what is punishment
behaviour is less likely to occur because of negative consequences
(recieving something umplesant which decreases the chance behaviour is repeated)
what is a primary reinforcers
non-learned and directly satisfy a basic need eg-food and water
what are secondary reinforcers
does not directly satisfy a basic need but can be used to get a primary reinforcer. Eg-money and vouchers
supporting evidence for operant conditioning
–skinner used a puzzle box to observe animal behaviour (Pigeons and rats) in a laboratory
-there were visual cues eg-loudspeakers and lights
-positive reinforcement-the rat leant that pressing the leaver would mean he would get a pellet. The pressing of the leaver becomes a learnt behaviour as the rat learns it will be rewarded with a pellet each time it presses the leaver
-negarive reinforcement-the rat was subjected to an unpleasant electrical current when the rat would press the leaver the current will have stopped. He would repeat the action of pressing the leaver to escape the consequence of the electrical current
punishement-each time the rat pressed the lever it would recieve an electrical shock instead of a food pellet. the rat stopped pressing the leaver as the shock acted as punishment
advantages of animal research
can replicate it on similar animals as they have smaller gestation periods
disadvantages of animal research
animals have different cognitions and motivations to humans
what are the ABCs of operant conditioning
(used to analyse behaviour)
A-antecedents
B-behaviour
C-consequences
what is an antecedent
what happens prior to the behaviour being performed
eg-lights
what is the behaviour
skinner called these operant
eg-pressing the leaver
what is the consequence
what happens after the operant
eg-food pellet or electrical shock
issues and debates
in booklet
supporting evidence of the behaviourist approach
(psychology as a science)
he focussed on objective methods of research for eg-they conduct research in a lab and measure observable behaviour
-this means its replicable
supporting evidence for behaviourist approach
(non-human)
they used animals in research as they believed the learning process in humans and animals was similar
-using animals gives more control over the process without the influence of demand characteristics or individual differences
-however these results cannot be generalised to the wider population as animals and humans have different motivations and cognitions so we cannot extrapolate from humans to animals
does the behaviourist approach believe behaviour is
free will or determinism
environmentally deterministic-behaviour is determined by our environment
does the behaviourist approach believe behaviour is
reductionist or holism
reductionist-attempts to reduce all aspects of human behaviour down to one explantion
does the behaviourist approach believe behaviour is
nurture or nature
nurture-environment
how is classical conditioning useful to real life
can be used to treat phobias through systemic desensitisation
how is operant conditioning useful to real life
can be used to help change behaviour which is seen as negative
Alyernative approaches to behaviourist approach
Fail to consider the influence of thought and cognitive processes as they are not observation.
Could be regarded as being too narrow
