The Behaviourist Assumptions

Question 1

Name the three behaviourist assumptions

Answer 1

Blank slate, conditioning, humans and animals learn in similar ways

Question 2

What does ‘blank slate’ mean in Latin?

Answer 2

Tabula rasa

Question 3

Psychological example for blank slate

Answer 3

Bobo doll experiment

Question 4

Who conducted the bobo doll experiment?

Answer 4

Bandura

Question 5

Key terms: blank slate

Answer 5

Manipulated, molded, shaped, environment, taula rasa, experiences, interactions

Question 6

What is the assumption of blank slate?

Answer 6

Our interactions and experiences with our environment shapes and manipulates our behaviour

Question 7

Explain the Bobo doll experiment

Answer 7

Children arranged into two groups (experimental and control), the experimental group watched a video of an adult behaving aggressively towards the doll

Question 8

What sort of violence was the adult inacting on the Bobo doll and give examples

Answer 8

Styalised depictions of violence: throwing it in the air, hitting it with a hammer, sitting on top of it and hitting it

Question 9

What did the Bobo doll experiment demonstrate about behaviour

Answer 9

The aggressive behaviour was learnt by the observation of the adult and the styalised acts of violence were copied. This shows that our experiences in our environment manipulate and shape our behaviour.

Question 10

What are the two types of conditioning?

Answer 10

Classical and operant conditioning

Question 11

Psychological example for classical conditioning

Answer 11

Pavlov’s dogs

Question 12

Key terms: classical conditioning

Answer 12

Association, conditioned (stimulus and response), unconditioned (stimulus and response), neutral stimulus

Question 13

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 13

Learning through association

Question 14

In Pavlov’s dogs, what is the neutral stimulus?

Answer 14

The bell

Question 15

Initially, in Pavlov’s dogs, what is the unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 15

The food

Question 16

Initially, in Pavlov’s dogs, what is the unconditioned response?

Answer 16

Salivation

Question 17

What is the process of classical conditioning?

Answer 17

UCS > UCR
UCS + NS > UCR
CS > CR

Question 18

Psychological example(s) for operant conditioning

Answer 18

Thorndike’s cat puzzle box and Skinner’s rats

Question 19

Key terms: operant conditioning

Answer 19

Consequences, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment

Question 20

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 20

Learning through consequences

Question 21

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 21

Getting a reward for desirable behaviour, encourages the behaviour to continue

Question 22

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 22

The removal of an unpleasant experience to increase the likelihood of the desired behaviour being repeated

Question 23

What is punishment?

Answer 23

Imposes unpleasant consequences to stop of reduce the frequency of an undesired behaviour

Question 24

What is the positive reinforcement in Thorndike’s cat puzzle box?

Answer 24

The cat getting the food once they have escaped

Question 25

What is the negative reinforcement in Thorndike’s cat puzzle box?

Answer 25

The cat is no longer trapped in the box as they have escaped