The behaviourist approach Flashcards
what is the behaviourist approach?
a way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning
what is classical conditioning?
learning by association. occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together. the neutral stimulus eventually produces the same response that was first produced by the UCS alone.
what is operant conditioning?
form of learning in which behaviour is shaped or maintained by consequences. consequences include positive and negative reinforcement and also punishment.
what is reinforcement?
consequence of behaviour that increases the likelihood of it happening. can be positive or negative
behaviourist approach summary
behaviourists try to maintain more control and objectivity within their research, lab studies are the best way to achieve this. behaviourists believe that all behaviour is learned, describe a babies mind as a ‘blank slate’ which is written on by experience. two forms of learning, classical and operant conditioning.
what was Pavlov’s research?
classical conditioning was first demonstrated by Pavlov. Pavlov showed how dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell, if the sound was repeatedly presented at the same time they were given food.
Pavlov’s dogs learned how to associate a bell (neutral stimulus) with the food (unconditioned stimulus) and would produce salivation every time they heard that sound. Pavlov showed how a neutral stimulus cam to elicit a new conditioned response through association.
what was Skinners research?
skinner suggested that learning is an active process whereby humans and animals operate on their environment. in operant conditioning behaviour is shaped by its consequences.
positive and negative reinforcement increases the likelihood behaviour will be repeated. punishment decreases this.
what is positive reinforcement?
receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is preformed
what is negative reinforcement?
occurs when a animal or human avoids something unpleasant. the outcome is a positive experience.
what was Skinners box?
Skinner conducted experiments with rats and sometimes pigeons in specially designed cages called skinners boxes.
every time the rat activated a lever within box it was rewarded with a food pellet. from then on the animal would continue to preform that behaviour.
skinner showed how these rats and pigeons could be conditioned to preform the same behaviour to avoid a unpleasant stimulus for example a electric shock.
what is a strength of the behaviourist approach (research)
- one strength is that it is based on well controlled research.
- behaviourists are focused on the measurements of observable behaviour within highly controlled lab settings.
- by breaking down behaviour into basic stimulus-repsonse units, all possible extraneous variables were removed, allowing cause and effect relationship to be established.
- suggests that behaviourists have scientific credibility.
what is another strength of the behaviourist approach?
- another strength of the behaviourist approach is that the principles of conditioning have been applied to real-world behaviours and problems.
- operant conditioning is the basis of many token economy systems that have been used successfully in institutions, such as prisons and psychiatric wards.
- work by rewarding behaviours with token that can be exchanged for privileges. this increases age value of behaviourist approach because it has widespread application.
what is a limitation of the behaviourist approach?
- environmental determinism, the behaviourist approach sees all behaviour as conditioned by past conditioning experiences.
- skinner suggested that everything we do is the sum total of our reinforcement history, our past conditioning history determines our outcomes.
- this ignores any possible influence free will may have on our behaviour, Skinner said himself that free will is an illusion
