The Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
What are the main assumptions of the behaviourist approach?
- All behaviour is learned from experience and therefore can be changed
- Genetics have no influence on behaviour as you are born a ’tabula rasa’ (blank slate) on which your experiences are written on (by our environment) and shape who you are
- It is useful to study animals to understand behaviour as the same processes produce learning for both humans and other animals
What is the theory of Classical Conditioning?
This is learning through association
Before learning:
- Unconditioned stimulus produces an unconditioned response
During learning:
- Neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus. Repeating this leads to the formation of an association between the unconditioned stimulus and the neutral stimulus
After learning:
- Neutral stimulus is now a conditioned stimulus which elicits a conditioned response (used to be unconditioned response)
What research is an example of Classical Conditioning?
Pavlov’s Dogs:
- Pavlov would ring a bell when presenting food to the dogs.
- Repeated pairings of the bell and food led to the dogs salivating when the bell was rang even if no food was present
What is extinction (in terms of classical conditioning)?
When a conditioned stimulus is no longer presented alongside an unconditioned stimulus. Overtime a conditioned response will no longer be shown in response to the conditioned stimulus.
E.g The dogs stopped salivating to the bell when Pavlov repeatedly rang it without providing food
What is spontaneous recovery (in terms of classical conditioning)?
The immediate return of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is presented alongside the unconditioned stimulus after a period of extinction.
E.g. In Pavlov’s case extinction occurred the dogs stopped salivating to the bell. They immediately restarted salivating to the bell once Pavlov presented the food following the bell again.
What is generalisation (in terms of classical conditioning)?
When a conditioned response is demonstrated in response to a stimulus that is similar to the conditioned stimulus.
E.g. In Pavlov’s case the dogs eventually started salivating in response to bell-like noises too
What is the theory of Operant Conditioning?
This is learning by consequence. There are 3 ways:
-
Positive reinforcement - receiving a pleasant consequence in response to performing a desired behaviour. This also increases the frequency of the behaviour
E.g. thorough revision = good grade -
Negative reinforcement - the removal of an unpleasant experience in response to performing a desired behaviour. This also increases the frequency of the behaviour.
E.g. beeping stops when you put on seatbelt -
Punishment - receiving an unpleasant consequence in response to performing an undesired behaviour. This decreases the frequency of the behaviour.
E.g. no homework = detention
What research is an example of Operant Conditioning?
Skinner’s Box
1. Positive Reinforcement variation -
rat pulling lever when light was on = food pellet
2. Negative reinforcement variation - rats were given mild electric shocks until they accidentally pulled the lever. Pulling the lever would temporarily disable the shocks.
How is the scientific methodology a strength?
- One strength of the behaviourist approach is that it is supported by scientific methodology.
- This means that is is free from researcher bias and will be objective
- Having objective research increases the validity of the findings
- Also, Skinner’s box study on operant conditioning used standardised procedure and high control.
- Therefore it is replicable and can be repeated to check findings for consistency
- This leads to reliable findings which support the approach
- This is a strength because the scientific principle used contributes to the validity
How do practical applications support the behaviourist approach?
- One strength of the behaviourist approach is that it has real life applications
- The principles of operant conditioning through positive reinforcement had been used to develop behaviour modification programmes in the real world
- E.g. Token Economy in prisons is used to encourage positive behaviour.
- Prisoners are rewarded with tokens for performing desired behaviours e.g. cleaning cell
- These tokens can be collected and exchanged for goods at the prison commissary
- This increases the frequency of the desired behaviour and encourages its development in the long term
- Therefore the behaviourist approach has a positive contribution to people’s lives
How do Pavlov and Skinner support the behaviourist approach?
- One strength of the behaviourist approach is that it is supported by research from Pavlov and Skinner
- Pavlov found that repeated pairings of a bell and food (NS + UCS) led to dogs being conditioned to salivate when he rang the bell without any food present
- This shows that through learning association between 2 stimuli and conditioned response can be produced
- Skinner found that rats can be conditioned to learn through rewards and punishment.
- He found that when rats were positively reinforced by getting food for pressing the lever they were likely to repeat the behaviour. But when they were punished with an electric shock they were less likely to repeat that behaviour
- This validates the behaviourist approach
How is animal research a limitation of the behaviourist approach?
- One weakness is that the behaviourist approach relies on evidence from animal studies
- E.g. the principles of classical conditioning is based on Pavlov’s research on dogs and operant conditioning is based on Skinner’s research on rats
- This is a weakness because psychologist argue humans are physically and cognitively more complex than animals this the results can not be extrapolated to humans
- This questions the validity of concepts like classical and operant conditioning as they are based on studies which may not be applicable to humans
- This decreases the validity of the behaviourist approach
How is the behaviourist approach reductionist?
- One weakness is that the behaviourist approach is reductionist
- The approach oversimplifies very complex behaviour into to stimulus-response associations
- Therefore it disregards other factors which may influence behaviour such as genes and hormones
- Even when there is credible research to support the role of genetics in behaviour from McGuffin
- Human behaviour is best understood holistically taking multiple factors into account
- Therefore the behaviourist approach being reductionist leads to over simplistic and incomplete explanations for complex behaviour
- This reduces its validity
