the behaviourist approach

Question 1

what is the behaviourist approach?

Answer 1

a way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning

Question 2

what is the definition of classical conditioning?

Answer 2

learning by association:

• occurs when an unconditioned (unlearned) stimulus (UCS) and a new ‘neutral’ stimulus’ (NS) are repeatedly paired together
• the NS eventually produces the same response that was first produced by the UCS alone

Question 3

what is the definition of operant conditioning?

Answer 3

a form of learning in which behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences eg. positive/negative reinforcement/punishment

Question 4

assumptions of the behaviourist approach

Answer 4

• early behaviourists such as john b. watson (1913) rejected introspection as it involved too many concepts that were vague and difficult to measure
• behaviourists believe that all behaviour is learned
  > suggests that basic processes that govern learning are the same in all species, so animals are often replaced as humans in research

Question 5

classical conditioning - pavlov’s research (1927)

Answer 5

• he showed how dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell if the sound was presented at the same time as they were given food
• gradually, pavlov’s dogs learned to associate the stimulus (bell) with the UCS and would produce a salivation response every time they heard it
• thus, pavlov was able to show how a previously neutral stimulus can come to elicit a conditioned response through association

Question 6

pavlov’s dogs model answer?

Answer 6

• before conditioning, the UCS of the food produced the UCR of salivation in the dog
• before conditioning, the NS of the bell produced NR in the dog
• during conditioning, the UCS of the food becomes associated with the NS of the bell to produce a salivation response
• after conditioning, the CS of the bell produces the CR of salivation

Question 7

what did skinner suggest learning was?

Answer 7

• suggested that learning is an active process whereby humans and animals operate on their environment
• ie. behaviour is shaped by environment

Question 8

what did skinner find in his ‘skinner box’ (1953)?

Answer 8

• every time the rat activated a lever within the box it was rewarded with a food pellet. from then on, the animal would continue to perform the behaviour
• skinner also showed how rats could be conditioned to perform the same behaviour to avoid an unpleasant stimulus eg. an electric shock

Question 9

what are the 4 consequences which skinner suggested shaped behaviour?

Answer 9

1. positive reinforcement
2. negative reinforcement
3. positive punishment
4. negative punishment

Question 10

define + exemplify positive reinforcement

Answer 10

• the introduction of something as a reward to increase the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated
• eg. praise from a teacher for answering a question correctly in class

Question 11

define + exemplify negative reinforcement

Answer 11

• the introduction of something unpleasant to increase the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated
• eg. electrocution meant that skinner’s rats avoided activating lever

Question 12

define + exemplify positive punishment

Answer 12

• the introduction of something as a punishment to decrease the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated
• eg. being given detention for bad behaviour

Question 13

define + exemplify negative punishment

Answer 13

• the removal of something to decrease the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated
• eg. phone being taken away for bad grades

Question 14

evaluation of behaviourist approach: well-controlled research

Answer 14

• behaviourists focused on the measurement of observable behaviour within highly controlled lab settings, which meant all other extraneous variables were removed, allowing cause-and-effect relationships to be established
• eg. skinner was able to clearly demonstrate how reinforcement influenced animal’s behaviour
• this suggests that behaviourist experiments have scientific credibility

Question 15

evaluation of behaviourist approach: real-world application

Answer 15

• has high validity as principles of conditioning have been applied to real-world behaviours and problems
• operant conditioning has been used successfully in prisons and psychiatric wards
• increases the value of behaviourist approach because it has widespread application

Question 16

evaluation of behaviourist approach: reductionist

Answer 16

• learning process may have been oversimplified
• behaviourists may have ignored the influence of human thought on learning, unlike SLT and cognitive approach
• this suggests that learning is more complex than observable behaviour alone, and that private mental processes are also essential

Question 17

evaluation of behaviourist approach: environmental determinism

Answer 17

• sees all behaviour as conditioned by past conditioning experiences
• skinner suggested that everything we do is the sum of our total reinforcement history
  > our past conditioning history determines the outcome of any decision
• this ignores any possible influence that free will may have on behaviour
• this is an extreme position and ignores the influence of conscious decision-making processes on behaviour (as suggested by the cognitive approach)

Question 18

evaluation of the behaviourist approach: ethical issues

Answer 18

• although procedures such as the skinner box allowed behaviourists to maintain a high degree of control over their experimental ‘subjects’, many have questioned the ethics of conducting such investigations
• animals were housed in harsh, cramped conditions and deliberately kept below their natural weight so they were always hungry