Learning approaches: The behaviourist approach,Classical conditioning and Pavlov’s research, operant conditioning, Flashcards
What is the behaviourist approach
A way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable in terms of learning
Rejection of internal mental processes
As the mind cannot be directly observed behaviourists argue it is a black box
What are the assumptions of the behvaiourist appraoch
1.We are born as a blank slate and we learn everything from the environment—–> societal norms shape us
2.We learn through conditioning—->classical conditioning and operant conditioning
What is enviornmental determinism?
Behaviour is the result of experience
They believe behaviour can be predicted and controlled by manipulating the enviornment
Define classical conditioning (3)
-Learning by association
-When an unconditioned response (salivating to food for example) can be triggered by a neutral stimulus through repeated pairing.
-Eventually the neutral stimulus alone produces the conditioned response (salivating to the sound of a metronome)
-The neutral stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus producing the conditioned response
UCS–>UCR
NS–>NR
UCS + NS–>UCR
CS–>CR
Pavlovs procedure and findings (6)
Procedure:
-Pavlov paired the neutral stimulus with the unconditioned stimulus over several trials.
- The neutral stimulus
was presented just before the unconditioned stimulus.
- Pavlov then recorded the dogs’ salivary responses.
Findings:
- Pavlov observed that the dogs began to salivate not
only in response to the food (unconditioned stimulus)
-but also in response to the neutral stimulus (the metronome), even
when the food was not presented.
- This indicated that the dogs had learned to associate the neutral stimulus with the food.
When does extinction occur in psychology ?
When the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus so the conditioned response becomes extinct
When does spontaneous recovery occur
when the individual carries out the conditioned response some time after the extinction has occurred
When does Generalisation occur
when slight changes in the conditioned stimulus (such as different pitches of the bell used in Pavlovs experiment, still produces the same conditioned response
Define operant conditioning
When a creature performs a voluntary response and learns from the consequences of those actions
What is the effect of punishment in operant conditioning
Discourages behaviour so it decreases the likelihood of that behaviour occurring
What are the two types of reinforcement and what do they do
Negative
Positive
Positive reinforcement occurs when we carry out a behaviour to receive a reward
Negative reinforcement occurs when behaviour is carried out to avoid negative consequences
Both increase the liklihood of an action
Skinners research Procedure and findings (4)
Procedure:
-Animals were placed in the Skinner Box without prior training.
-Skinner then observed how animals learned to
operate levers to receive a reward (food) or
avoid punishment.
Findings:
- Skinner demonstrated that behaviour is influenced by the consequences that follow. - Behaviours followed by rewarding consequences are more likely to be repeated (reinforced),
while those followed by undesirable consequences are less likely to recur.
What did classical conditioning lead to with little albert (Negatives)
- A phobia of white rats
- His fear started to become Generalised to other white lfuffy objects
How are token economies an example of operant conditioing(an example of real life applications)
Inamtes who carry out socially desired tasks are rewarded with tokens which can be traded for privalleges such as extra tv time
Why is the behaviourist approach seen as a limited explanation for human behaviour
Human behaviour accounts for
* Emotions
* Motivations
* Reasoning skills
What are the negatives to the skinners box and Little albert (3)
- Skinners box caused considerable physical harm to the rats which breached ethical guidelines
- Watsons and Rayners experiment on little labert failed to protect him from psychological harm as well as not offering him the opportunity to withdraw
- Very unethical
Why are non humans able to replace humans in behaviourist experimental research
Because the basic laws governing learning are the same across both non humans and humans
What is the differnce between classical and operant ocnidtioning
Classical is an involuntary response:
* In Pavlovs research, the dog naturally drools to food, and the association that devlops between the neutral and unconditioned stimulus is automatic; the dog does not decide to drool to the metronome
Acquisition of response: classicla conditioning explains how automatic responses to new stimuli devlop through association. This is the initial learning phase, where two stimmuli are linked together to produce a new learned response
Operant is a voluntary response they prpduce behavipours with an undertansting that certain consequences may follow maintiance of response
Give an example of negative reinforcement being used to increase the likelihood of a behaviour
If ur parents shout at you for not tidying your room you would do it so they stop shouting at you
What is behvaviour shaping
When animals are trained to perform complex behaviours through operant conditioning
First simple behaviours will be rewarded then complex behaviours will be rewarded
Ethical and practical issues in animal
experiments (3)
- Although experimental procedures such as the Skinner Box enabled behaviourists to maintain a high degree of control over their experimental ‘subjects’,
- Many critics have questioned the ethics of conducting such investigations.
- The animals involved were exposed to stressful conditions, which may also have affected how they reacted to the experimental situation.
Real life applications (token economies) (3)
-The principles of conditioning have been applied to a broad range of real-world behaviours and problems.
- For instance, operant conditioning is the basis of token economy systems
that have been used successfully in institutions, such as prisons and psychiatric wards.
- These work by rewarding appropriate
behaviour with tokens that can then be exchanged for privileges.
Scientific credibility (2)
- Behaviourism was able to bring the language and methods of the natural sciences into psychology by focusing on the
measurement of observable behaviour within highly controlled lab settings. - By emphasising the importance of scientific processes such as objectivity and replication, behaviourism was influential in the development of psychology as a scientific discipline, giving it greater credibility and status.
