Learning Theory and Origins Flashcards
Emergence of psychology
Moved psychology away from philosophy and put emphasis on controlled research - founded institute of experimental psychology and books, establishing subject as individual branch of science
Wundt evaluation
+ First to open a lab designated to psychological studies facilitating accurate measurement and replication
+ First to focus on psychological perception over philosophical/ biological
+ Recognised his procedures inadequate for higher mental processes so encouraged research for better methods paving way for new approaches
- Early behaviourists e.g Pavlov may contribute more i.e reliable and generalisable findings
Introspection
Systematic analysis of conscious experiences of a stimulus
Wundt believed sufficient training allowed objective reports of perception and conscious mental processes
Everyday objects eg metronome and people would reflect on feelings and images to gain insight
Introspection eval
+ Focus on mental processes Can be seen as a forerunner of cognitive approach
+ Still used sometimes in modern research, e.g in therapy and emotional states, valuable to investigate one way mental processes
- Maybe invalid as subjectivity and several aspects of mind are outside conscious awareness and cannot be reported
Behaviourist approach
Observable behaviour objectively measurable
All behaviour learnt from environment - stimulus response association
Little difference between animal and human processes
Classical conditioning
Learning through association rather than innate
Pavlov (1927) did dog salivating and food and associated to salivate at bell
neutral and unconditioned stimulus paired for unconditioned response
then neutral becomes conditioned stimulus with conditioned response
Operant conditioning
Learning by consequences
Skinner (1953) skinner box with rat, lever and electrifiable floor - pressing lever lead to food or avoid electrocution - reinforcement so increased likelihood to do again
reinforcement / punishment = good/bad
positive/negative = something added/removed
Behaviourist approach eval
+ enhanced Psych scientific status by using strict scientific methods to get objective verifiable findings
+ laws and principles to help predict/ control behaviour
- but controlling behaviour could be ethically concerning as controlling against wishes
+ Useful treatments like SD (CC) and token economy (OC)
- Therapy Neglects the person as a whole so likely to overlook the root cause so may return to original behaviour
- Environmentally deterministic as focuses fully on environmental effects and ignores free will on behaviour
- Reductionist as reduces complex processes like phobias and attachments to a simple stimulus response association
- Criticised for linking animal research to humans as ignores our cognitive states and emotional factors which influence behaviour
Social learning theory
Behaviour learnt through experience, observation, imitation within social context
SLT Process
Modelling - role models carry out behaviour to be learnt + live e,g parent peer, or symbolic e.g celebrity
Imitation - copying modelled behaviour
Identification - likely to imitate similar people, similar enough to perform the same behaviour and same outcome
Vicarious reinforcement - observe consequences, copy rewardable actions but avoid punishment
Mediational processes
cognitive representation of stimulus process response
Pay attention to the model, be able to retain what is modelled, motivation to imitate behaviour e,g for reward, then consider themselves capable mentally/ physically of reproducing said behaviour
Bandura (1961)
72 3-7 year olds (half gender split) observing a model either acting aggressively or normally to bobo doll - some saw same sex model, others saw different
acts including hitting and saying POW
then children put in room w toys + bobo and observed - they copied the aggressive model, and 33% copied verbal aggression they heard compared to 0% in control group. Boys were more aggressive, and most aggression was after seeing a same sex model
SLT eval
+ Positive approach as behaviour shaped by environment so less self blame and more opportunity to change behaviour
+ Scientific evidence e.g Bandura esp w children copying adults
- Artifical environment research, low ecological validity
- Nurture focused puts blame on role models
- Too simplistic and ignores other factors like genetics e.g how boys are more aggressive to bobo doll than girls - could be testosterone so biologically determined
- Environmentally deterministic as behaviours shaped by others but no power in free will or changing attitudes
