The Behaviourist Approach

Question 1

The behaviourist approach concerns behaviour which is…
Why?

Answer 1

Concerns observable behaviour.
This means that no assumptions on behaviour are made allowing the approach to be extremely scientific.

Question 2

What type of experiments do behaviourists use?
Why?

Answer 2

Lab experiments
Allow for high control, meaning that only stimulus-response behaviours can be observed.

Question 3

How do behaviourists describe a baby’s mind?

Answer 3

Blank slate.

Question 4

How do behaviourists say we acquire behaviours?

Answer 4

Behaviours are learnt.

Question 5

How is learning different in humans and animals?

Answer 5

There is little difference between learning that takes place in humans and animals.

Question 6

Name the psychologist who discovered classical conditioning.

Answer 6

Pavlov

Question 7

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 7

Learning through association.

Question 8

Describe how Pavlov’s dogs learnt to associate a bell with food.

Answer 8

Pavlov paired the sound of a bell with food. Over time, the dogs learnt that when they heard the bell, food was coming, so they salivated in response.

Question 9

Describe Pavlov’s dog experiment using UCS, UCR, NS, CS, CR

Answer 9

UCS - Food
UCR - Salivation
NS - Bell
CS - Bell
CR - Salivation

Question 10

Name the psychologist who discovered operant conditioning.

Answer 10

Skinner

Question 11

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 11

Learning through consequences.

Question 12

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 12

Rewarding behaviour to increase the likelihood of it reoccurring in the future.

Question 13

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 13

Removing something in order to escape unpleasant consequences, increasing the likelihood of the behaviour reoccurring in the future.

Question 14

What is positive punishment?

Answer 14

Giving a negative consequence in order to decrease the likelihood o the behaviour reoccurring in the future.

Question 15

What is negative punishment?

Answer 15

Removing something positive in order to decrease the likelihood of behaviours reoccurring in the future.

Question 16

Describe the aim of Skinner’s experiment.

Answer 16

Aimed to investigate reinforcement and punishment on a rat.

Question 17

How did Skinner investigate positive reinforcement using the skinner box?

Answer 17

The rat learnt that pressing the button lead to the reward of food.

Question 18

How did the skinner box allow Skinner to display an example of negative reinforcement?

Answer 18

The rat would receive an electric shock when he didn’t press the button. He learnt to press the button to avoid negative consequences.

Question 19

Explain the strength of the approach having real world application, using the example of token economy systems.

Answer 19

For example, operant conditioning has shown the effectiveness of token economy systems in prisons. Good behaviours are rewarded with tokens (positive reinforcement) which can be exchanged for other items. This encourages prisoners to continue behaving well. This increases the value of the approach,

Question 20

Explain the strength of the approach being scientific using the example of lab experiments.

Answer 20

By using lab experiments, this breaks observable behaviours down into their stimulus-response components, removing any extraneous and confounding variables. This means that cause and effect relationships can be established, such as how Skinner clearly demonstrated that reinforcement influences animal behaviour. This therefore improves the validity of the approach.

Question 21

Explain the limitation of the approach displaying environmental determinism, using the example of Skinner.

Answer 21

For example, Skinner states that we base all behaviour off previous reinforcement and punishment. This ignores free will and our ability to consciously choose/not choose to do something. This is an extreme viewpoint and ignores any influences of free will.

Question 22

Explain the limitation of ethical issues surrounding conditioning, using the example of Skinners rats and Little Albert.

Answer 22

For example, Skinner purposefully kept the rats underweight and hungry, so that he could show that pressing the button led to reinforcement. Little Albert was also conditioned to have a phobia of objects he previously didn’t fear. This means that research surrounding the behaviourist approach is unethical, and what we have learnt about conditioning may not be justified by unfair treatment of animals and people.