The Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
Behavioural approach
A way of explaining behaviour of what is observable and in terms of learning.
Classical conditioning
Learning by association. Occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together - an unconditioned (unlearned) stimulus (UCS) and a new ‘neutral’ stimulus (NS). The neutral stimulus eventually produces the same response that was produced by the unconditioned stimulus.
Classical conditioning- Pavlov’s research
Pavlov showed how dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell if that sound was repeatedly presented at the same time as they were given food. Gradually, Pavlov’s dog learned to associate the sound of the bell (a stimulus) with food (another stimulus) and would produce salivation response everytime they heard the sound.
Thus, Pavlov was able to show how a neutral stimulus, in this case a bell, can come to elicit a new learned response (conditioned response) through association.
Operant conditioning
A form of learning in which the behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequnces. Possible consequences of behaviour include reinforcement (positive or negative) and punishment.
Reinforcement
A consequence of behaviour that increases the likelihood of that behaviour bring repeated. Can be positive or negative.
Operant conditioning - Skinner’s research
B.F Skinner (1953) suggedted that learning is an active process whereby humans and animals operate on their environment. In operant conditioning behaviour os shaped by its consequences:
- Positive reinforcement
- Negative Reinforcement
- Punishment
Positive and negative reinforcement ______ the likelihood that behaviour will be repeated.
Increase
Punishment ______ the likelihood that behaviour will be repeated.
Decreases
Positive reinforcement
Receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed, for example, praise from a teacher for answering a question correctly.
Negative reinforcement
Occurs when an animal (or human) avoids something unpleasant. The outcome is a positive experience.
For example, when a student hands in an essay so as not to be told off, the avoidance of something unpleasant is the negative reinforcement.
Punishment
An unpleasant consequence of behaviour, for example being shouted at by the teacher for talking during class.
Strengths
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Well-controlled research: Behaviourists focused on the measurement of observable behaviour within highly controlled lab setting. By breaking down behaviour into basic stimulus-response unit, all other possible extraneous variables were removed, allowing cause-and-effect relationships to be established. For instance, Skinner was able to clearly demonstrate how reinforcement influenced an animal’s behaviour.
This suggests that behaviourist experiments have scientific credibility. -
Real-world application: Operant conditioning is the basis of token economy systems that have been used successfully in institutions, such as prisons and psychiatric wards. These work by rewarding appropriate behaviour with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges. For an example of how classical conditioning has been applied to the treatment of phobias.
This increases the value of the behaviourist approach because it has widespread application.
Limitations
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Environmental determinism: It sees all behaviour as conditioned by past conditioning experiences. Skinner suggested that everything we do is the sum total of our reinforcement history. When something happens we may ‘I made the decision to do that’ but, according to Skinner, our past conditioning history determined the outcome. This ignores any possible influence that free will may have on behaviour (Skinner himself said that free wheel is an illusion).
This is an extreme position and ignores the influence of conscious decision-making processes on behaviour (as suggested by the cognitive approach).
