The Behaviourist approaches

Question 1

What are the five approaches?

Answer 1

1. Learning approach
2. Cognitive approach
3. Biological approach
4. Psychodynamic approach
5. Humanistic approach

Question 2

What are the two parts of the learning approach?

Answer 2

1. The behaviourist approach
2. Social learning theory

Question 3

What is the Behaviourist approach?

Answer 3

Behaviourists believe that only directly observable behaviours should be studied through controlled and objective methods. They believe behaviour is learned

Question 4

what did Pavlov discover, and when did he discover it?

Answer 4

Classical conditioning in 1927

Question 4

what is classical conditioning?

Answer 4

Classical conditioning is learning through association. Pavlov discovered this when working with dogs.

Question 5

What was Pavlov’s experiment?

Answer 5

He noticed that dog salivated before being presented with food. Pavlov realised that the dogs were salivating in response to things they associated with food. In his classic experiment, he rang a bell before feeding dogs. Eventually the dogs associated a bell ringing with food and started to salivate whenever they heard the bell.

Question 6

How can Pavlov’s experiment be represented?

Answer 6

Food (UCS) = Salivation (UCR)
Bell (NR) = No response
Bell+Food (UCS)=Salivation (UCR)
Bell (CS) = Salivation (CR)

Question 7

what did Skinner discover?

Answer 7

Operant conditioning

Question 8

what is operant conditioning?

Answer 8

The idea that we learn through consequences. Skinner though that people operate on their environment. They do things, then look to see the consequences of these things. If positive, they continue. If negative, they stop

Question 9

What was Skinner’s experiment?
(negative reinforcement)

Answer 9

Skinner’s box
In one study, rats were given electric shock and had to press a lever to stop them. At first they knocked the lever by accident but they soon learned to go straight to the it to stop the shock. This is negative reinforcement in action as the removal of the negative stimulus caused them to continue

Question 10

What was Skinner’s experiment?
(positive reinforcement)

Answer 10

He also taught them to press the lever through positive reinforcement. They again knocked the lever by accident but this time, a food pellet (the reward) dropped into the cage. They continued to press the lever in the hopes that more food would be released. This shows how rewarding certain behaviours can encourage them to continue

Question 11

What are two strengths of the behaviourist approach?

Answer 11

1. It takes a very scientific approach, the theory is falsifiable which is a strength because it allows a cause and effect relationship to be determined
2. The wide range of applications it has given society. Might be used in child rearing or educational settings. It can be used to treat phobias, this i a strength because without it these developments may not have occurred

Question 12

What are two limitations of the behaviourist approach?

Answer 12

1. Lots of the research was carried out on animals, human may not share enough similarities for the result to be applied to human behaviour. Therefore, the results may not be generalisable.
2. wholly takes the nurture side and ignores biological explanations therefore presents a narrow explanation. the biological cause is ignored so it’s viewed as reductionist.

Question 13

What is social learning theory?

Answer 13

A neo-behaviourist approach. It agrees that we learn through the environment but believes we learn just as much from observing role models as we do from the consequence of our actions

Question 14

According to SLT, what are the 4 stages of learning a behaviour?

Answer 14

1. Observe the behaviour (of role models showing a given behaviour)
2. Retain this information (remembering what they’ve seen)
3. Imitate/Modelling (copying the behaviour)
4. Judgement of consequences (if we receive positive reinforcement we continue, if we receive punishment we wont)

Question 15

What is vicarious reinforcement?

Answer 15

Looking to see how a role model’s behaviour was received first before imitating it. If they were rewarded we’re more likely to imitate their behaviour than if it was punished.

Question 16

What role does identification play?

Answer 16

Identification with the role model can play a part in in the likelihood of imitation. A person is likely to become a role model for us if they possess similar characteristics to ourselves and/or hold a sense of status that we desire .The more similar the role model, the more likely we are to imitate their behaviour

Question 17

What are mediational processes?

Answer 17

We do not imitate every behaviour we see. The likelihood depends on mediational factors. Which combines this approach and the cognitive approach because it suggests mental processes play a role in determining behaviour. They were discovered by Bandura and include ARMM

Question 18

what does ARMM stand for?

Answer 18

A- attention, if we don’t notice the behaviour of a role model, we can’t imitate it
R- retention, if we don’t remember what we have seen, we won’t imitate it
M- motor reproduction, if we don’t have the ability to perform behaviours, we won’t
M-motivation, if we are not willing to perform the behaviour (through judging the consequences of said behaviour) then we won’t

Question 19

Bandura’s Bobo doll

Answer 19

Bandura carried out a number of studies to see if infants could learn to be aggressive through observing a role model showing aggression.
He had two groups of children observe either a female or male adult attack a bobo doll in front of them, two group of children observe an adult female or male attack a bobo doll on screen, one group observe a cartoon cat attack the bobo doll and the last group watch no violence (control group)
When they were in a play setting with the doll, all but the control group acted aggressively to the doll. Suggesting they were imitating their role model’s aggressive behaviour after observing

Question 20

What are two strengths of SLT?

Answer 20

1. It’s well supported by research evidence
2. It addresses the influence of mediational processes, recognising that humans do not simply learn through stimulus-response learning. Sees a role of consciousness. It offers a more in depth explanation of human learning, still regarded today

Question 21

What are the limitations of the SLT?

Answer 21

1.It pays little attention to the impact of biological, hereditary or maturational factors on behaviour. No clear link between biology and behaviour. It’s too simplistic to suggest we are merely a product of our environment and cognition.