Outline the behaviourist approach and compare with biological

Question 1

Outline

Answer 1

Humans born blank slate - tabula rasa, all behaviour result of conditioning

Cc - learning via associations made between UCS and NS.
BC - US produces UR; DC - NS repeatedly paired with UCS, producing UR; AC - NS becomes CS, producing CR.

Pavlov - demonstrated dogs could be conditioned to salivate with NS (bell) to produce UR (salivation).

BC - US (food) produces UR (salivation); DC - US repeatedly paired with NS (bell) to produce UR (salivation). Associations made. AC - NS becomes CS, producing CR (salivation)

OC - learning in which behaviour is acquired and maintained based on consequence.
Reinforcement - increases likelihood of observed behaviour being repeated.
Pos rein - carry out behaviour to receive award. Neg rein - Carry out behaviour to avoid consequence.

SB - demonstrated using rat the mechanisms of pos and neg rein

Pos - when rat learnt to press down lever to receive food as reward, learning to repeat action due to the reward.
Neg - when rat learnt to press down level to avoid unpleasant consequence of electric shock

Question 2

Sim 1

Answer 2

Determinist

Be - environmental determinism, all behaviour caused by external environment: reinforcement history, upbringing, school, peers, parents etc.

Bio - biological determinism, all behaviour determined by internal biological factors only inc genes, neurochemistry, brain structure and evolution.

Question 3

Diff 1

Answer 3

Extent to which they believe behaviour is caused by nature or nurture

Be - all behaviour influenced by external environmental factors such as classical and operant conditioning, peers and family. So approach, resides on nurture side of debate

Bio - all behaviour due to innate biological factors such as brain structure, genes, neurochemistry and evolution. So, approach resides on nature side of debate.

Question 4

Sim 2

Answer 4

Successfully applied as treatments to disorders

Be - systematic desensitisation and flooding for phobias. Extremely successful and have wide practical application.

Bio - development of drugs e.g. SSRIs effective treatment for depression

Question 5

Sim 3

Answer 5

Reductionist

Be - environmental reductionism, all behaviour can be explained by reinforcement history and can be Broken up into stimulus

Bio - biological reductionism, all behaviour can be explained by internal bodily activity which includes neurochemistry, brain structure, genetics and evolution.