The Behaviourist Approach

Question 1

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 1

When a neutral stimulus is consistently paired with an unconditoned stimulus
Eventually takes on properties of this stimulus and able to produce a conditioned response

Question 2

What did Pavlov investigate?

Answer 2

The salivary reflex in dogs

Question 3

What is a neutral stimulus?

Answer 3

An event that does not produce a response

Question 4

Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

Answer 4

An event that produces an innate, unlearned reflex response

Question 5

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Answer 5

An event that produces a learned response

Question 6

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

Answer 6

An innate, unlearned reflex behaviour that an organism produces when exposed to an unconditioned stimulus

Question 7

Conditioned Response (CR)

Answer 7

A learned physical reflex behaviour that an organism produces when exposed to a conditioned stimulus

Question 8

What did Pavlov use as a Unconditioned Stimulus?

Answer 8

Dog food

Question 9

What did Pavlos use as a Unconditioned response?

Answer 9

Dog Salivating

Question 10

What did Pavlov use as a neutral stimulus?

Answer 10

A bell

Question 11

What became a conditioned stimulus?

Answer 11

The bell

Question 12

What became the conditioned response?

Answer 12

The dog salivating when hearing the bell

Question 13

Criticism of classical conditioning?

Answer 13

Only appropriate for some learning
- Different species face different challenges
- Seligman, animals are prepared to learn associations in terms of servival
- Unprepared to learn associations that are not significant
Suggesting appropriate for learning specific types of association

Question 14

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 14

Learning through reinforcement or punishment

Question 15

What is the idea behind Skinner’s theory?

Answer 15

Organisms spontaneously produce different behaviours and these behaviours produce consequences ( positive or negative)

Question 16

What did Skinner use his box for?

Answer 16

Investigate operant conditioning in rats

Question 17

What happened inside Skinner’s box?

Answer 17

Rat moves around the cage and when it accidently presses the lever food is given
Rat continues to press lever
When food stops falling the rat stops

Question 18

What is reinforcement?

Answer 18

Something that strengthens a response and increases the likelihood that it will occur in the future

Question 19

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 19

when behaviour produces a consequence that is satisfying or pleasent for organism

Question 20

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 20

remove something unpleasent ancd restore organism to pre-aversive state

Question 21

What are other important features of operant conditioning?

Answer 21

Schedules of reinforcement

Punishment

Question 22

Classical conditioning has been applied to therapy?

Answer 22

Classical conditioning has been applied in the development of treatments for the reduction of anxiety associated with phobias
- Systematic desensitisation is a therapy
- Eliminates the learned anxious response, associated with a feared object or situation
Classical conditioning-based on approach has beenn found effective for a range of phobias such as fear of spiders

Question 23

Classical conditioning only appropriate for some learning

Answer 23

Different species face different challenges to survive
- Seligman ( 1970), concept of preparedness to explain
- Animals are prepared to learn associations that are significant in terms of their need for survival
- Unprepared to learn associations that are not significant in this respect
Classical conditioning may be more appropriate in the learning of specific types of association
LINKS TO SPECIES EVOLUTIONARY THEORY

Question 24

Over-reliance on non-human animals in research

Answer 24

Skinner’s research received criticism because his experiments involved the study of non-himan animals rather than humans
- His reliance on rats and pigeons means that Skinner’s studies tell us little on human behaviour
- Claim humans have free will rather than having their behaviour determined by positive or negative reinforcement
Skinner argues free will is an illusion. What we humans believe to be free will are actually determined by external influences that guide our behaviours daily