Learning Approaches (SLT, Beh) - Paper 2 Flashcards
Behaviourist Approach - Learning Approaches - Key Assumptions
- All behaviour is learnt.
- Only interested in studying behaviour that can be observed and measured.
- Try to maintain more control and objectivity with their research, therefore use lab experiments.
- Behaviourists’ research could replace a humans with animals as experimental subjects.
Behaviourist (Learning) Approach - Classical Conditioning (Pavlov) - Method.
Pavlov found that dogs can be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell if that sounds was repeatedly presented at the same time as they were given food.
Gradually Pavlov’s dogs learned to associate the Amy Bell sound (NS) with food (UCS) and would produce the salivation response every time they heard the sound.
Pavlov showed how a NS (Bell) can bring about a new learned response (conditioned) response through association.
Behaviourist Approach - Pavlov’s C.Conditioning Diagram
UCS UCR
Food Salivation
UCS NS UCR
Food Bell Salivation
CS UCR
Bell Salivation
What is an UCS, UCR, NS, CS, CR in C.Conditioning?
UCS = An event that produces an innate, unlearned reflex response.
UCR = An innate, unlearned reflex behaviour that is produced when exposed to an unconditioned stimulus.
NS = An event that doesn’t produce a response.
CS = An event that produces a learned response.
CR = A learned physical reflex that is produced when exposed to a conditioned stimulus.
Behaviourist (Learning) Approach - Operant Conditioning Definition (Skinner)
Operant Conditioning = A type of learning in which a new voluntary behaviour is associated with a consequence.
Reinforcement = Makes a behaviour more likely to occur.
Positive (+) Reinforcement = Receiving a reward when a behaviour is performed. Makes a behaviour more likely to occur.
Negative (-) Reinforcement = When an animal/human completes an action to avoid something unpleasant .
Punishment = Makes a behaviour less likely to occur.
Behaviourist Approach - Skinner Box - O.Conditioning
- Pos/Neg Reinforcement + Punishment in Skinner’s Box
If rat activated a lever it was rewarded with food pellet, so rats continued behaviour. (+ Reinforcement).
Rat got an unpleasant stimulus (electric shock) when it activated the lever. (Punishment).
Rat may learn that activating a lever leads to removing the electric shocks. (Neg Reinforcement).
Contribution of the Behaviourist Approach to understanding human behaviour.
Application - 1.Provided therapies for the treatment of disorders such as phobias (flooding).
2. Useful in education and childcare for improving behaviour.
Theory - Provided theories + laws of learning (C.Conditioning).
Method - Insistence on objectivity and replicability which raises Psychology’s scientific status (OTHERFP).
Strength of the Behaviourist Approach
P - Gave Psychology scientific credibility.
E - The approach focused on careful measurement of observable behaviour within controlled lab settings.
E - Furthermore, behaviourists emphasised the importance of scientific processes such as objectivity and replication.
L - This brought the language and methods of the natural sciences into Psychology, giving the subject greater credibility and status.
Criticism of the Behaviourist Approach
P - Issue is the use of animal in studies.
E - Generalising findings from animals to humans may not be appropriate as humans learn in different ways to animals (e.g. language).
E - Furthermore, humans have emotions and thought processes that have shown to influence behaviour.
L - Behaviourist assumptions regarding learning must be generalised with caution from animal studies when explaining human behaviour.
Practical Application of the Behaviourist Approach
P - A strength of the behaviourist approach is its application is useful for treatments.
E - Behavioural principles have contributed to the development of a range of effective therapies especially for phobia including Flooding.
E - E.g. if a patient is prevented from practicing their avoidance behaviour then phobic behaviour declines.
L - This means the behavioural approach has been applied practically in a range of settings increasing its value.
Social Learning Theory (SLT) - Key Assumptions
- Majority of SLT research involves lab experiments in which measurable behaviour is observed.
- Human learning is explained through observational learning, which involves identification, imitation and reinforcement.
- Mediating cognitive factors play important role in observational learning (attention, retention, motor reproduction and motivation).
- In vicarious reinforcement, reproduction of behaviour of behaviour can be motivated when learners observe ROLE MODELS receiving reinforcement.
Identification + Modelling - SLT
Identification = The extent to which a person relates to a model and feels that they’re similar to that person
- Identification with a model means that someone is more likely to IMITATE their behaviour (especially same sex models).
Modelling = People are more likely to imitate the behaviour of people who they identify (ROLE MODELS).
- A person becomes a role model if they are seen to possess similar characteristics to the observer and have a higher status.
Imitation - SLT
Bandura proposed that we learn through OBSERVING and COPYING others within a social context.
- A way in which an individual copies the behaviour of a role model.
Vicarious Reinforcement - SLT
For identification learning to take place, an individual observes the behaviours of others. The learner may imitate this behaviour but generally only if it’s been rewarded and not punished.
- The learner observes someone’s behaviour but more importantly observes the consequences of the behaviour.
The Role of Mediational Process + What are the 4 Mediational Processes? - SLT
Mediational processes = Mental (cognitive) factors that influence learning process to determine whether a new behaviour is acquired or not.
The 4 Mediational Processes are:
- Attention
- Retention
- Motor Reproduction
- Motivation
