The behaviourist approach

Question 1

What is a behaviourist?

Answer 1

People who believe that human behaviour can be explained in terms of conditioning, without the need to consider thoughts or feelings.

Question 2

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 2

When a neutral stimulus (NS) is consistently paired with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) so that it eventually takes in the properties of this stimulus + os able to produce a conditioned response.

Question 3

Who investigates classical conditioning + what year?

Answer 3

Pavlov (1927)

Question 4

How was classical conditioning investigated?

Answer 4

Investigating the salivary reflex in dogs + noticed that dogs didn’t only salivate on the presence of food but also reacted to stimulus that coincided with the presentation of food e.g. food bowl or the person that feeds them.

BEFORE CONDITIONING/ACQUISITION PHASE
UCS (food) causes an UCR (salivation)
NS (bell) doesn’t result in UCR (salivation)

DURING CONDITIONING/ACQUISITION PHASE
NS is presented shortly before the UCS
With repeated pairings of the NS (bell) + UCS (food) the NS (bell) is now able to produce the same response as the UCS (food)

AFTER CONDITIONING/ACQUISITION PHASE
The NS (bell) is now referred to as the conditioned stimulus (CS - bell) ) + the response it produces is the conditioned response (CR - salivation)

Question 5

What are the 4 other important features in classical conditioning?

Answer 5

Timing - if the NS can’t be used to predict the UCS e.g. if it occurs after the UCS or the time interval is too great then conditioning doesn’t take place.
Extinction - The CR (salivation) doesn’t become permanently established as a response. After a few presentations of the CS (bell) in the absence of the UCS (food) its ability to produce the CR (salivation).
Spontaneous recovery - following extinction ( CS + CR are no longer paired) if the CS + UCS are paired together again the link between them is made more quickly.
Stimulus generalisation - Once an animal has been conditioned, they’ll also respond to other stimuli that are similar to the CS.

Question 6

What are the two main studies in the behaviourist approach?

Answer 6

Pavlov’s Dogs - Classical conditioning
Skinner’s rats - Operant conditioning

Question 7

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 7

Learning through reinforcement or punishment. If behaviour is followed by a desirable consequence then that behaviour is more likely to occur again in the future.

Question 8

What is punishment?

Answer 8

Involves the application of an unpleasant consequence following a behaviour, with the result that the behaviour is less likely to occur again in the future.

Question 9

What is reinforcement?

Answer 9

Anything that strengthens a response + increases the likelihood that it will occur again in the future.

Question 10

How was operant conditioning investigated?

Answer 10

Skinner’s rats - Skinner’s box
The rat moves around the box + accidentally presses the lever a food pellet (the reinforcer) falls into the box.
The hungry rat begins to repeatedly press the lever in order to obtain food.
If the pellets stop the rat presses the lever a few more times + abandons it (extinction).

Question 11

How many types of reinforcement are there + what are they?

Answer 11

2
Positive + negative reinforcement

Question 12

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 12

When a behaviour produces a consequence that is satisfying or pleasent for the organism.
E.g. food to a hungary animal like in Skinner’s rats or praise given to a child after they do something well.

Question 13

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 13

Removes something aversive (unpleasant) + so restores restores the organism to its ‘pre - aversive’ state.
E.g. the act of hitting the ‘off’ button an alarm clock allows the person to escape the unpleasant ringing + restores the restful pre - alarm state.

Question 14

What are the 2 other important features in operant conditioning?

Answer 14

Schedules of reinforcement - A partial reinforcement schedule (e.g. reinforcing every 3rd lever press or every 10 mins) is more effective in maintaining that response + avoiding extinction.

Question 15

AO3: RLA
Strength

Answer 15

The principles of behaviourism have practical applications in a range of real-world settings, including education, therapy, and animal training. Behaviourism has been used to develop effective treatments for a range of psychological disorders, such as phobias, anxiety, and addiction. It has also been used to improve educational practices, such as by using rewards and punishments to encourage desired behaviours.

Question 16

AO3: Uses the scientific method
Strength

Answer 16

The behaviourist approach is based on a scientific methodology that emphasizes the use of controlled experiments to test hypotheses. This approach allows for the identification of cause-and-effect relationships between environmental factors and behaviour, and the elimination of confounding variables. The scientific methodology of behaviourism has contributed to its credibility and influence in psychology.

Question 17

AO3: Ethical concerns
Weaknesses

Answer 17

Behaviourist experiments often involve the use of animals or the manipulation of human behaviour through the use of punishments and rewards. This raises ethical concerns about the treatment of animals and the potential for harm to human participants. The use of punishment to shape behaviour can also be criticized for being harsh and dehumanizing.