The behaviourist approach Flashcards
What are the Main assumptions in behaviourist approach?
- only interested in studying observable & measurable behaviour
- Humans are born ‘Tabula rasa’ blank state
- environment shapes behaviour rather than innate
- valid to study behaviour of animals as they share same principles of learning as humans (OC & CC)
Who demonstrated classical conditioning in dogs?
Ivan Pavlov
What is classical conditioning?
learning through association
What did Pavlov’s study show?
- How dogs could be conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell if that sound was repeatedly paired at the same time they received food
- Pavlov’s dog learnt to associate sound of bell (NS) with food (UCS)- produced salivation response every time they heard sound
Before conditioning of Pavlov’s dogs
Food (UCS)» Salivation (UCR)
Bell(NS)»_space; no response
During conditioning of Pavlov’s dogs
Food(UCS) + Bell (NS)»_space;Salivation (UCR)
After conditioning of Pavlov’s dogs
Bell (CS)»_space; Salivation (CR)
What did Skinner say that learning is?
An active process whereby humans and animals operate on their environment
What is operant conditioning?
Learning through consequences
3 types
What is positive reinforcement?
receiving a reward when a behaviour is performed e.g. receiving a sticker from teacher for good essay
What is negative reinforcement?
A behaviour is performed to avoid something unpleasant
e.g. hurrying to lessons so teacher does not shout at you
What is punishment?
- an unpleasant consequence for behaviour e.g. detention for being late to lesson
Outline Skinners research (Positive reinforcement)
- hungry rat placed in cage called skinners box
- every time lever was pressed, food appeared in dispenser= positive reinforcement ( food provided reward)» increase in lever pressing
Outline Skinners research (Negative reinforcement)
- Skinner experiment with unpleasant environmental stimuli such as loud noises which could be switched of by pressing the lever ( negative reinforcement)
-led to increase in lever pressing
Outline Skinners procedure (punishment)
Experimented with use of punishment by delivering an electrical shock anytime the leaver was pressed
-led to decrease in lever pressing
What is a strength of the behaviourist approach?
- approach is based on well-controlled research
- B’s focus on measuring observable behaviour within controlled lab settings
- break down behaviour into basic-stimuli response units = EVs removed =cause & effect established
- e.g. Skinner clearly demonstrated how reinforcement influence a rats behaviour >scientific credibility
What is a counter point for the well-controlled research?
- problem is B’s may have oversimplified the learning process by reducing behaviour to such simple components - ignore important influence (human thought)
- other approaches e.g. cognitive & SLT have acknowledge mental processes involved in learning
-learning much more complex
What is another strength of the behaviorist approach?
- real world app
- OC is the basis of token economy systems, successfully used in institutions e.g. prions & psychiatric wards
- reward appropriate behaviour with tokens that can be exchange with privileges
- particularly successful for patients who lack insight into their (schizophrenia) behaviours
-increase in value
What is a limitation of the behaviourist approach?
- behaviourist see all behaviours as conditioned by our past conditioning experiences
- Skinner suggested that everything we do is the sum total of our reinforcement history
- When we think we have made the decision to do something > our past conditioning history determined the outcome > ignores free will
- thus extreme & ignores influence of conscious decision making systems
Why does classical conditioning have real life application?
- contributed to our understanding of phobias
- e.g. little Alert showed how phobias can be learnt through classical conditioning
- pairing a loud noise with a rat resulted in a conditioned fear response
