The Behavioural Approach and SLT (Approaches) Flashcards
Method (Watson and Rayner 1920 ‘Little Albert’)
An 11-month-old boy showed no fear when presented with white, fluffy animals such as rats or rabbits.
Researchers created a conditioned response to these by striking a metal bar loudly behind Albert’s head when presented with these animals.
This was repeated twice at first, then five more times a week later.
Results (Watson and Rayner 1920 ‘Little Albert’)
When he was shown a rat, he would start to cry. This was the same with other white, fluffy objects.
Conclusion (Watson and Rayner 1920 ‘Little Albert’)
A fear response to white fluffy objects had been conditioned into Albert, showing that abnormal behaviour can be learned.
Evaluation (Watson and Rayner 1920 ‘Little Albert’)
Very unethical
Not everybody develops a fear or phobia after a negative situation, so learning theory can’t be the full story.
Being a laboratory study it lacked ecological validity
Supports Pavlov’s idea of classical conditioning
Assumptions of the Behavioural Approach
Psychology is a science: so behaviour must be measured in highly controlled environments to establish cause and effect.
When born our mind is a blank state
There is little difference between the learning that takes place in humans and in other animals: this means that research can be carried out on animals as well as humans
Behaviour is the result of stimulus: all behaviour can be reduced to a simple stimulus- response associations
All behaviour is learnt from the environment: We learn new behaviour through classical or operant conditioning
Key concepts of the Behavioural Approach
Stimulus: anything internal or external, that brings about a response.
Response: any reaction in the presence of a stimulus.
Reinforcement: the process by which a response is strengthened
Unconditioned Stimulus
the stimulus that causes the reflex response before conditioning. it is the stimulus that naturally produces the response
Conditioned Stimulus
the stimulus which, after repeated pairings with the unconditioned stimulus, produces the response
Unconditioned response
the innate (reflexive) response to a stimulus that has not been controlled
Conditioned response
the response that occurs after exposure to the conditioned stimulus
Pavlov’s classical conditioning (Pavlov’s dogs)
First, Pavlov established that meat caused the dog to salivate
-unconditioned stimulus (FOOD) = unconditioned response (SALIVA)
Then, he presented the tone with the food. Note that the dog is salivating in response to the food at this time
-unconditioned stimulus (FOOD) + neutral stimulus (BELL) = unconditioned response (SALIVA)
After several pairings of the tome and food, Pavlov found that the dog would salivate to the tone when it was presented alone
-conditioned stimulus (BELL) = conditioned response (SALIVA)
Method (Skinner 1938 rats showing operant conditioning)
Rats were placed one at a time into a ‘Skinner Box’ which contained a variety of stimuli: a speaker, lights, a floor which gave an electric shock and a food dispenser which was operated with a lever.
A hungry rat was placed into the box and the time taken for the rates to learn that pressing the lever would release food was recorded.
Results (Skinner 1938 rats showing operant conditioning)
Initially, the rat would run around the cage until it accidentally pressed the lever and it was rewarded with food.
The more the rat was put back into the box, the quicker they got at learning where the lever was.
Conclusion (Skinner 1938 rats showing operant conditioning)
Rats can learn behaviour through operant conditioning. A behaviour such as pressing a lever can be positively reinforced by receiving food.
Evaluation (Skinner 1938 rats showing operant conditioning)
Has influenced promoting the idea of behavioural psychology
It used animals, meaning that results may not be generalised to humans.
The sample size was small, reducing reliability of the results.
Skinner and negative reinforcement
He repeated his study and showed that rats could learn to prevent an electric shock by pressing a lever when a light came on
Positive Reinforcement
Increases the likelihood of a response occurring because it involves a reward for the behaviour
Negative Reinforcement
Increases the likelihood of a response occurring because it involves the removal of, or escaping from, unpleasant consequences
Punishment
The consequence is receiving something unpleasant which decreases the probability of a behaviour being repeated.
Operant conditioning
Uses rewards and punishment to modify behaviour.
The associations between responses and consequences have to be made close together in time for learning to occur.
Operant conditioning has been applied to the treatment of behaviour.
Examples included social skills training for offenders, and token economy systems used in institutions whereby tokens are given as secondary reinforcement for good behaviour.
Social Learning Theory
A way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcements, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors. Learning can occur simply through observing others- others known as models- in our environment
Albert Bandura (1961)
Learning occurs from observing others. The mind, behaviour and the environment all play a role in learning behaviour. This deals with the major criticism of Behaviourist approach, which ignores mental processes, by taking account of cognitive processes.
Vicarious reinforcement
we learn through modelling- modelling involves learning through the observation of other people (models), which may lead to imitation (repetition) of the behaviour, only if behaviour is rewarded.
The four conditions for social learning
-Attention: the extent to which we notice certain behaviours
-Retention: The individual remembers what they have observed
-Motor Reproduction: The individual replicates the behaviour shown by the model/judges their ability to replicate it
-Motivation: The individual seeks to demonstrate the behaviour that they have observed/evaluating the outcome of imitating it
Types of Models
Live Models: physically present in our environment, e.g. mother, teacher etc.
Symbolic Models: e.g. people in films, books, cartoons etc.
Symbolic Modelling is believed to have a bigger impact in societies where media is widely available
Cumberbatch 2001
video nasties are more likely to frighten children them to make them aggressive towards others. Social deprivation, child abuse and early exposure to violence at home are more likely to desensitise them.
Method (Bandura et al. 1961 imitation of aggressive models)
36 girls and 36 boys of a similar age were matched on ratings of aggressive behaviour shown in school in a match participant design.
In the first condition, children observed adult models playing aggressively with a bobo doll (e.g. hitting it with a mallet)..
In the second, children observed non-aggressive models playing with other toys and ignoring the bobo doll.
The third was a control condition in which children weren’t exposed to the models.
The children’s behaviour was observed for 20 minutes in a room containing aggressive toys (bobo doll, mallet) and non- aggressive toys such as a tea set and crayons.
Results (Bandura et al. 1961 imitation of aggressive models)
Children exposed to aggressive models imitated lots of aggressive behaviour.
Children in the non-aggressive and controlled conditions showed little aggressive behaviour.
Aggressive behaviour was slightly higher in the control than in the non-aggressive condition.
Conclusion (Bandura et al. 1961 imitation of aggressive models)
Aggressive behaviour is learnt through imitation of others behaving aggressively.
Evaluation (Bandura et al. 1961 imitation of aggressive models)
Provides evidence for social learning theory.
Strict control of the variable so results are likely to be reliable and can be replicated.
Low ecological validity.
Limited sample- the children were from the same school.
It could be seen as unethical that children were encouraged to be violent
Behaviourism
is concerned with observable behaviour, as opposed to internal events like thinking and emotion. Observable behaviour can be objectively and scientifically measured.
Generalisation
when a stimuli similar to the original CS produces the CR
Discrimination
When a stimuli similar to the CS doesn’t produce the CR. This can be achieved by withholding the UCS when the similar stimulus is used.
Extinction
When the CR isn’t produced as a result of the CS because the CS is repeatedly presented without the UCS following it.
Spontaneous recovery
When a previously extinct CR is produced in response to the CS. This happens when the CS is presented again after a period of time during which it has not been used.
Higher order conditioning
When a new CS produces the CR because the animal associates it with the original CS. This can be achieved by consistently presenting the new CS before the original CS
Evaluation of Conditioning
It ignores the role of observation, unlike SLT
Most research involves animals, meaning that results cannot always be generalised to humans
Different species have different capacities for learning by conditioning. Some may also learn by observation with no reinforcement involved.
Genetics seem to influence and limit what species can learn by conditioning
Using animals may be considered unethical
