Lesson 2

Question 1

What is a tabula rasa?

Answer 1

we are born as a blank state -everything we become is shaped by the process of learning from our environment.

Question 2

What is the behaviorist approach interested in studying?

Answer 2

They are interested in observable behaviour which can be measured and not concerned with investigating mental processes of the mind.

Question 3

why did john Watson reject the idea of introspection

Answer 3

1913 rejected introspection as it involved concepts which were vague and difficult to measure.

Question 4

Behaviourists rely on lab experiments in order to maintain control and objectivity.

Question 5

Following Darwin, behaviourists suggested basic processes such as learning are the same in all species.

Question 6

What are the 2 forms of learning

Answer 6

1. Classical conditioning
2. Operant conditioning

Question 7

What is a stimulus?

Answer 7

any change in the environment that an organism registers

Question 8

What is a response?

Answer 8

Any behaviour that the organism emits as a consequence of a stimulus.

Question 9

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 9

is the process by which learning occurs through association.

Question 10

Define the UCS

Answer 10

the unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that automatically triggers a response, a response that takes place without any prior learning. (reflex)

Question 11

Define UCR

Answer 11

the unconditioned response is an unlearned response that occurs naturally in reaction to the unconditioned stimulus.

Question 12

define the NS

Answer 12

the neutral stimulus is something that doesn’t produce a specific response.

Question 13

define CS

Answer 13

The conditioned stimulus is a previously neutral stimulus which has become associated with the unconditioned stimulus.

Question 14

define CR

Answer 14

The conditioned response is a learned response to the conditioned response.

Question 15

What are the stages of classical conditioning? Pavlov - dogs.

Answer 15

1. Before conditioning
   - Food ( unconditioned stimulus)
   - response
   - salivation (unconditioned response)
2. Before conditioning
   - bell (neutral stimulus)
   - response
   - no salivation ( no conditioned response)
3. During conditioning
   Bell + food = salivation (unconditioned response)
   repeat this process for association to occur
4. After conditioning
   - bell (conditioned stimulus)
   - response
   - salivation (conditioned response)

Question 16

classical conditioning little albert stages

Answer 16

Before conditioning
neutral stimulus (white rat) - no fear
UCS (steel bar is hit with a hammer to produce a bang) - natural reflex UCR (fear)

During conditioning
neutral stimulus (white rat) + UCS - natural reflex UCR (fear)

After conditioning
Neutral stimulus (white rat) - conditioned reflex CR (fear)

Question 17

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 17

form of learning in which behavior is shaped and maintained through it’s consequences. possible consequences of behaviour include positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement or punishment.

Question 18

Who introduced operant conditioning?

Answer 18

It was suggested by skinner in 1953 who proposed learning is an active process whereby humans and animals operate on their environment.

Question 19

Name 3 reinforcements and define them

Answer 19

1. Positive reinforcement - receiving a reward could be a treat or an act of praise etc. when a behavior is performed.
2. Negative reinforcement - occurs when something unpleasant is avoided which increases the desired behaviour.
3. Punishment - add an undesirable stimulus to decrease a behaviour.

Question 20

What is skinner’s box?

Answer 20

it was designed to teach rats how to push a lever. this behavior is not natural to rats, so operant conditioning with positive and negative reinforcements was performed in order to teach this behaviour.

Question 21

What was the positive reinforcements the rats received?

Answer 21

A rat was awarded with a food pellet when he pressed the lever.

Question 22

what was the negative reinforcement the rat received?

Answer 22

A rat was able to turn off the electric shocks by pressing the lever.

Question 23

well controlled research - strength

Answer 23

p - based on well controlled research
e - focused on the measurement of observable behavior within highly controlled lab settings.
e - breaking it down into basic - stimulus responses extraneous variables were removed allowing for cause and effect relationships to be established. skinner able to demonstrate reinforcements influenced the behavior of animals.
l - behaviorism is influential in the develop of psychology as a scientific discipline giving it credibility and status.

Question 24

real world application - strengths

Answer 24

• principles of classical and operant conditioning can be applied to real world behaviours and problems
• token economy systems - institutions prisons and schools
• PR helps encourage good behavior’s long term. classical conditioning - understanding mental disorders, phobias are result of earlier unpleasant learning experience.
• therefore, inc value of behaviorist approach - widespread application to everyday life.

Question 25

environmental determinism - limitation

Answer 25

• all behavior is conditioned from past conditioning experiences.
• free will is an illusion - skinner
• everything we do is due to our reinforcement history we may think ‘i made the decision to do that’ but according to skinner our past conditioning history determined the outcome
• ignores any possible influence of freewill on behaviour.

Question 26

research executed on animals - limitation

Answer 26

• research is revolved around animals rather than humans
• Pavlov investigated on dogs and skinner on rats and pigeons
• problematic as humans are more physically and cognitively complex and this makes it harder to generalize findings to humans - this tells us little abt human behavior. Questions surrounding the ethics of the studies. animals were subject to stressful conditions.
• therefore we cannot be confident the theories apply to humans. the use of animals questions whether the value of the findings outweigh the misuse of animals.