learning theories

Question 1

learning theorists AO1

Answer 1

• behaviour is learnt through interaction in environment
• we are born a tabula rasa (blank slate)
• only observable behaviour should be studied not mental processes
• justifiable to conduct research on animals and generalise to humans
• behaviourism = classical+operant conditioning

Question 2

classical conditioning AO1

Answer 2

• believe all behaviour is a result of associations
• a neutral stimulus which evokes no response is paired with an unconditional stimulus which evokes an unconditioned response either through one trial or multiple pairing an association forms between NS and UCS - NS now referred to as conditioned stimulus which creates a conditioned response
• can be generalised to other objects similar to CS and can be lost through extinction

Question 3

Pavlov classical conditioning study

Answer 3

food (UCS) = salivation (UCR)
bell (NS) = no response
food+bell = salivation (UCR)
bell (CS) = salivation (CR)

Question 4

Operant conditioning AO1

Answer 4

rewarding behaviour reinforces it and increases the likelihood of an individualo displaying it, reward can be gained by gaining something desirable (POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT) or avoiding something negative (NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT) + punishment decreases likelihood of displaying behaviour

Question 5

Skinner’s operant conditioning study

Answer 5

Test 1 (positive reinforcement) - hungry rat placed in a box, rat accidentely knocked lever and food was released rat then quickly learnt lever gave reward of food so pressed it more often
Test 2 (negative reinforcement) - rat placed in a box and subjected to an unpleasent electric shock, as it moved around the rat knocked the lever that stopped the electric current, then learnt to press it whenever current was active

Question 6

schedules of reinforcement

Answer 6

• continuous reinforcement - animal is reinforced after every specific behaviour = slow learning rate and quick extinsion rate
• partial reinforcement -
  1 = fixed reinforcement-given when an animal has performed the behaviour a specific number of times = quick learning rate and medium extinction rate
  2 = variable reinforcement-after an unspecified and unpredictable number of times = quick learning rate + slow extinction rate

Question 7

behaviourism evaluations

Answer 7

• reliance on evidence from animals - Pavlov on a dog and Skinner on a rat which they generalised to humans - issue as significant differences between animals and humans and our social factors come into play however many biological similarities
• real-life application to treat disorders e.g phobias leading to discovery of flooding etc = adds credibility however less useful to help more complex disorders
• operant learning used in prisons with token economy so allows society to progress and assissts institutions

Question 8

social learning theory AO1

Answer 8

• behaviour is learnt from environment through observational learning and imitating their behaviour
• more likely to imitate their behaviour if we see person being rewarded (vicarious reinforcement) + if they are a role model

Question 9

mediational processes

Answer 9

• cognitive processes occur after observation but before imitation, influence whether they imitate behaviour
• includes attention, retention, motivation and reproduction

Question 10

Banduras research

Answer 10

• Bandura set out to investigate whether observing aggression could increase the likelihood of an individual displaying, experimented on 3-5 year olds who observed either a violent or non-violent model playing with a bobo doll
• found those who observed a violent model showed more aggression than those who observed a non-violent model particularly if they was the same sex

Question 11

social learning theory evaluations

Answer 11

• may be considered less deterministic than others, doesnt suggest we blindly imitate, instead suggests medational factors = this helps account an individual for their actions which is useful for our legal systems
• supporting research from Bandura - bobo doll, non-violent and violent model showed 3-5 year olds showed aggressive behaviour when observed it = supports theory however children were not familiar with bobo doll so may have not known what to do
• however conducted in lab study = lacks eco val and cant generlise to real behaviour