The behaviourist approach Flashcards
What is the learning approach?
Way of understanding behaviour by focusing on how we are products of learning from experience and our environment
Including behaviourism and social learning theory approach
Outline and evaluate the behaviourist approach
A01 General outline
Behaviourism suggest that all humans are born with a blank slate
that all behaviour is learnt by our experiences in our environment
No mental processes between S and R- we are products of our environment
The main assumption is that all behaviour is learnt to conditioning specifically operant and classical
Outline and evaluate the behaviourist approach
A01 Operant conditioning
Operant conditioning was developed by Skinner and suggest our behaviour is learnt from consequence specifically positive reinforcement negative reinforcement and punishment
As seen with Skinners box and his experiment with rats,
Behaviour is more likely to be repeated if it results in a positive reward
(POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT)
or escapes something unpleasant
(UNPLEASANT)
where punishment will decrease the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated

Outline and evaluate the behaviourist approach
A01 classical conditioning
Classical conditioning was developed by Pavlov and suggested all behaviour is learnt from Association
As Pavlov demonstrated with his experiment with dogs classical conditioning is where a new association is made between a neutral stimulus an unconditioned stimulus that are repeatedly paired together
so that the neutral stimulus takes on the properties of the unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned reflex response to a condition stimulus
Behaviourist approach basic assumptions
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All behaviour is learnt from experience in our environment
Only studies behaviour by focusing on what is observable and can be measured -so rejects introspection (private thoughts)
Lab experiments- Use of control of experiments these are objective and scientific
Basic processes that infants behaviour is the same in all species so use animals
All behaviour is learnt to classical and operant conditioning
Classical conditioning
Pavlovs research
Explain
Pavlov revealed dogs can be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell if the sound was repeatedly sounded at the same time food was given
Gradually dog associated the sound of the bell neutral stimulus with the food unconditioned stimulus after being paired
so the neutral stimulus (bell) takes on the properties of the unconditioned stimulus and now the bell now becomes a conditioned stimulus producing a conditioned response which is salivating to the sound of the bell, even in a absence of food
The dog has now been conditioned to salivate at the sound of the bell via association.
Pavlov also found if a stimulus had characteristics close to the condition stimulus, the association would also be made to the new stimulus
for example a varied bell pitch and tone Stimulus generalisation
Classical conditioning
Pavlovs research
Diagram
UCS (FOOD) —> UCR (SALIVATE)
UCS (FOOD) + NS(BELL) —> UCR (SALIVATE)
CS (BELL) —> CR( SALIVATE)
Stimulus generalisation
Pavlov
Watson and Rayner little Albert study
Pavlov found if a stimulus has characteristics close to the conditioned stimulus , association would also be made to the new stimulus for example varied bell pitch and tone
Not only was little Albert scared of theWhite rat but also small white fluffy objects e.g. cotton wall and furry coat
Pavlov also found several other points about the classical conditioning
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Stimulus generalisation
Pavlov found if a stimulus has characteristics close to the conditioned stimulus , association would also be made to the new stimulus for example varied bell pitch and tone
Stimulus discrimination
if a stimulus is too different from the conditioned stimulus, association will not occur
e.g. little Albert wouldn’t associate with a large brown dog
Timing
Association only occurs if the unconditioned stimulus and neutral stimulus is presented at the same time or around same time
Watson and Rayners little albert study 
Every time Albert went to reach for the white fat a steel drum was hit behind his head
UCS (LOUD NOISE) —> UCR (FEAR)
UCS (LOUD NOISE) + NS(WHITE RAT) —> FEAR (UCS)
CS(WHITE RAT) —> CR (FEAR)
Operant conditioning skinners box
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
PUNISHMENT
Box with a range of stimuli and highly controlled
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT:
Rat presses lever, given food pellet
Keeps pressing on lever, behaviour is reinforced - more likely to be repeated
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT:
Presses lever, floor stops giving electric shock, presses again to stop getting shocked by floor - escapes something unpleasant, behaviour is reinforced - more likely to be repeated.
PUNISHMENT:
Presses lever, lever gives electric shock, stops pressing lever, stops getting shocked
Behaviour is not repeated, less likely to press lever
What is operant conditioning?
A form of learning which behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences
possible consequences of behaviour include positive reinforcement negative reinforcement and punishment punishment
What is positive reinforcement
Behaviour more likely to be repeated as it receives a reward that provides a feeling of satisfaction
What is negative enforcement
Behaviour is more likely to be repeated as it avoids something unpleasant
What is punishment
Behaviour is less likely to be repeated as it results in an unpleasant consequence
How could video game addictions be explain using behaviourist principles
Positive reinforcement by getting more points are moving up a level is the reward acts as a positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement want to avoid going down on the leaderboard
Punishment was in the game play more see you get better and will lose again again
What are the strengths of the research methods used by behaviourist
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Limitation
High control of variables
clear cause and effect relationship between IV and DV established
Standardised procedures
easy to replicate therefore sure if results are reliable
Objective data
all behaviourist experiments measure a behavioural response and that he directly observed
Low generalisability of animals
Evaluation of the behaviourist approach
Overall
Limitation - Environmental determinism
Limitation - reductionist
Strength - practical application
Strength - scientific credibility
Evaluation of the behaviourist approach
P: One limitation of the behaviourist approach is that it is environmental determinism
E: Behaviourists see all behaviour is determined bye our past experiences and our environment that have been conditioned
E: It pays no attention to mediational processes between stimulus and response and assumes humans make no cognitive decisions - It only pays attention to the stimulus and response
This is a weakness as it provides an incomplete explanation for behaviour and ignores that humans have free will to make their own decisions .
Evaluation of the behaviourist approach
P: Another limitation is that the behaviourist approach is reductionist
Behaviourists reduce humans to animals
and assumes that both humans and animals have the same learning mechanisms.
Therefore ignore the importance of mental processes between the stimulus and response in people and how people may play a more active role in their own learning, so not respond the same as rats and pigeons
This is a weakness as we may be unable to generalise findings from animals to humans as humans are more complex
Evaluation of the behaviourist approach
A strength of the behaviourist approach is that there is real life application
One strength is that the principles of conditioning I’ve been applied to a broad range of real life behaviours and problems
Systematic desensitisation is based on classical conditioning and used to treat phobias bye eliminating the learned anxious response (CS) associated with an object (CR) and replace it with relaxation
This is a strength as it is usually the most appropriate form of cognitive therapy for a broad range of patients as it requires little effort from them.
Evaluation of the behaviourist approach
Another strength of the behaviourist approach is that there is high scientific credibility
The behaviourist approach will only focus on behaviour that is observable and can be measured they therefore used controlled lab experiments to obtain objective results
E: e.g Skinner
They therefore rejects wundts work on introspection - argue it is too subjective and not observable
This is a strength as it allows clear cause and affects to be established between behaviours, allow prediction to be made, increasing its scientific credibility
Operant conditioning token economy system
Used in prisons and psychiatric wards rewarding behaviour with tokens - exchange privileges
positive enforcement
