the behavioural approach Flashcards
outline of behavioural approach
they reject the vagueness of introspection and focused on observable events. behaviourists believed that much of human behaviour could be explained in terms of conditioning; an association between stimuli and responses given. there are two types of conditioning: operant and classical.
who studied classical conditioning and how?
Pavlov, using dogs. he noticed that dogs drool before being fed; when the door opens. they had learned to associate the sound of the door with food. they learned to salivate (response) when the door opened (stimuli).
classical conditioning in dogs
Food (UCS) -> Salivation (UCR)
Food (UCS) + Bell (NS) -> Salivation (UCR)
Bell (CS) -> Salivation (CR).
the neutral stimulus (Bell) is conditioned to produce the response of salivation.
what 4 features affect classical conditioning?
Timing: timing between presenting UCS and NS cannot be too great
Extinction: the association between the CS and CR isn’t permanent. after presenting the CS a few times without the UCS, the association will be lost and it will no longer produce the CR
Spontaneous generation: after extinction, presenting the UCS and the CS creates the association much quicker
Stimulus generation: once the animal has been conditioned, it will respond to other stimuli similar to the CS
what is a strength of classical conditioning explanation?
it has lead to an effective treatment for a range of phobias: systematic desensitisation. this therapy is based on classical conditioning as the patient is taught a new association to the phobic stimulus that runs counter to the original association. for example, relaxation instead of fear. this is a strength as it is an effective treatment and so is able to help people
what is a limitation of classical conditioning explanation?
relationships between the CS and UCS can be difficult to establish for some species. animals are prepared to learn associations that are significant in terms of survival (i.e. food+ smell of food) but unprepared to learn associations that aren’t significant in this respect (i.e. food+ and a bell)
2 types of reinforcement? (operant)
positive reinforcement: when a behaviour produces a good/rewarding consequence and so the behaviour is reinforced and likely to be repeated
negative reinforcement: when a behaviour removes something unpleasant from a situation and so the behaviour is reinforced and likely to be repeated
2 types of punishment? (operant)
positive punishment: when a behaviour is followed by an unpleasant consequence, and something is added to the situation. (i.e. getting a detention). behaviour is less likely to be repeated
negative punishment: when a behaviour is followed by an unpleasant consequence, and something pleasant is removed from the situation (i.e. phone taken off you) behaviour is less likely to be repeated
who studied operant conditioning and how?
Skinner created ‘Skinner’s Box’ to test operant conditioning in rats. the rat moved around in the cage until it accidentally pressed a lever which released the food (reinforcer). the rat continuously presses the lever in order to obtain the food. if the food stops coming, the rat will stop pressing the lever. (extinction)
what is the definition of operant conditioning?
learning through reinforcement or punishment. behaviour is more likely to be repeated if it is followed by a desirable consequence
what is a strength of operant conditioning?
skinner used highly controlled methods; experimental methods to find causal relationships between two or more variables. through skinner’s box, he was able to find a cause and effect relationship between the consequences of a behaviour and the future frequency of its occurrence. : reliable and objective
what is a limitation of operant conditioning?
Skinner’s research has been criticised for being based on animals not humans. critics say that we cannot use this to explain human behaviour, and also our behaviour is determined by free will not reinforcement : not a full/valid explanation of behaviour.
what is a limitation of behavioural approach?
it ignores key elements that have an influence on behaviour such as cognitive elements and emotional states: not a valid approach
