The Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
What did the behaviourist response reject
The vagueness of introspection and instead focused on observable results and responses
What does the behaviourist approach focus on
Learning
How do behaviourists believe most human behaviour can be explained
Through conditioning, which involves associations between stimuli in the environment and an organisms response.
Who studied classical conditioning
Pavlov in his study on dogs
How do organisms naturally respond to stimuli
The theory suggests that all animals are born with natural reflexes, which occur when a suitable stimulus is presented.
What was Pavlov’s study on dogs
Pavlov noticed his dogs reacted to stimuli associated with the presentation of food, such as the food bowl. He presented a neutral stimulus (a bell), shortly before the UCS of food. The bell then became a conditioned stimulus which elicited the conditioned response
What happens if there is too long a gap between the NS and the UCS
Conditioning doesn’t occur if the NS cannot be used to predict the UCS
What happens if the CS is repeatedly presented without the UCS
It loses it’s ability to elicit the CR, showing that unlike the UCR, the CR response is not permianent
What is extinction (Behaviourism)
When the association between the CS and the UCS is lost
What is it called if the CS and UCS are paired together once more after extinction
Spontaneous recovery
What is special about spontaneous recovery
The link between the UCS and the NS is made much more easily
What is generalisation in Pavlov’s experiment
Dogs would respond to other stimuli that are similar to the CS
Who developed operant conditioning
Skinner
What is the idea behind operant conditioning
Organisms spontaneously produce different behaviours and these produce consequences for the organism, some of which are desirable and some are not. Repetition depends on the consequence
What did Skinner do to test operant conditioning
He developed Sinner’s box, with a rat in it. The rat would move around the cage and accidentaly press a lever, and a food pellet would drop. The rat would press the lever to get more food, until the food stops, at which point extinction occurs
What is reinforcement in operant conditioning
An consequence which determines whether a behaviour occurs again
What are the two kinds of reinforcement
Positive Reinforcement - when an action elicits or adds a positive consequence
Negative Reinforcement - When an action results in the removal of something negative
(turning off alarm clock)
What does negative reinforcement result in
An organisms return to its ‘pre-adversive’ state
What is an element in operant conditioning, other than reinforcement, that determines if a behaviour is repeated
Punishment, which is when a behaviour is followed by a consequence that is undesirable or unpleasant for the organism
How does punishment differ from reinforcement
Reinforcement increases the likelyhood of a behaviour re-occuring, whereas punishment decreases the likelyhood of a behaviour reoccuring
What are the two types of punishment
Positive - Applying something unpleasant
Negative - Taking away something pleasant
What did Skinner find was most effective for maintaining a response
A reinforcement schedules (e.g every third press of a lever)
How has the behavioural approach found utility in the real world (eval)
Through the treatment of anxiety related to phobias. SD was developed with classical conditioning tech. Replaces the CR of fear with relaxation through counterconditioning. Found to be effective
What is an issue with the use of animals in the Behavioural approach (eval)
It has an overreliance on animal research. Critics claim that Skinner’s studies on rats and pidgeons tell us litte about humans, who have free will rather than their actions being dictated by reinforcement
What did Skinner argue in response to the claim that his animal studies have little effect on humans
That free will is merely an illusion and that we are the product of external influences which guide our daily behaviour.
What is a strength of Skinner’s research (eval)
His reliance on the experimental method and controlled conditions to discover the relationship between variables. Skinner’s box is a good example, as by manipulating the consequences of a behaviour (the IV) he was able to measure effects on the rats behaviour (the DV). Allowed for cause and effect relationship
Why is the behaviourist approach criticised for ignoring other levels of explination (eval)
It ignores levels like cognitive factors behind depression. Treating human beings as a product of conditioning alone ignores the evidence of these other factors in shaping behaviour.
What did Skinner argue in response to those who claimed that the behaviourist approach ignored other levels of explination
Skinner argued that these internal states are scientifically untestable, and that even complex behaviours could be better understood by studying the reinforcement history of the individual
