The Behaviourist Approach

Question 1

What are the assumptions of the Behaviourist Approach?

Answer 1

• Only interested in studying observable and measurable behaviour, use lab studies.
• Believe all behaviour is learned (babies mind=blank space). Basic processes that govern learning are the same in all species so animals replace humans in experiments
• key ideas of classical and operant conditioning

Question 2

Who investigated Classical Conditioning and how ?

Answer 2

• Pavlov: learned through association
• dogs could be taught to salivate at the sound of a bell if that sound was presented while given food.
• Salivate (UCR) when given food (UCS). Associate bell (NS) with food. Making the bell (CS) cause dogs to salivate (CR)

Question 3

Who investigated Operant Conditioning and what is it?

Answer 3

• Skinner believed behaviour was shaped by consequences
• Positive Reinforcement is receiving a reward after completing a behaviour
• Negative Reinforcement is when you avoid something unpleasant and so have a positive experience
• Punishment is an unpleasant consequence of behaviour
• Positive and negative reinforcement increase the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated, punishment has the opposite effect

Question 4

How was operant conditioning investigated?

Answer 4

• Skinner boxes: every time a rat activated a lever it was rewarded with a food pellet, the rat would repeat this behaviour
• skinner also showed how rats would avoid certain behaviours if the result was negative e.g electric shock

Question 5

How could the Behavioural Approach have ethical issues and what is a counterpoint to them?

Answer 5

• Animals were housed in harsh, cramped conditions and deliberately kept below their natural body weight to ensure hunger
• Counterpoint of cost-benefit analysis

Question 6

How is the Research done valid?

Answer 6

• done in controlled environments as a focus on measurable and observable behaviour, prevents extraneous variables from affecting results, cause and effect relationships established

Question 7

How is the Behaviourist Approach only a partial explanation?

Answer 7

• completely ignore the concept of free will, Arguing that every decision we make is a result of our past actions and if they were reinforced, (skinner said free will was an illusion). This is an extreme position and ignores the influence of conscious decision making