the behaviourist perspective Flashcards
what is the behaviourist perspective?
(also known as the learning theory) is the study of how we learn behaviour
what do behaviourists claim?
that everything we do (including acting, thinking and feeling) can and should be regarded as behaviours that can be studied and explained through observable events, without the need to consider internal mental processes, it is just the way we act
is behaviourism scientific or not?
yes scientific = objective
what are the 4 assumptions and principals of the behaviourist perspective?
- all behaviour is learnt from our environment
- only behaviours that can be readily observed should be studied
- the mind is irrelevant
- behaviour can be changed through reinforcement
all our behaviour is learnt from the environment..
behaviourists believe we are all born tabula rasa (blank slate) and that all our behaviour results from interactions with other people and our wider environment
= nurture based argument
= highly deterministic
only behaviours that can be readily observed should be studied…
behaviourism is a highly scientific perspective that only studied observable behaviours, it uses lab experiments and avoids subjective interpretation
= supports psychology as a science
the mind is irrelevant…
studying the mind requires us to make inferences about processes that we can not directly observe
behaviour can be changed through reinforcement…
providing positive consequences for desired behaviour and negative consequences for undesired behaviour can change behaviour
= perspective is useful = as it has many practical applications
what is classical conditioning?
learning through association
what is operant conditioning?
learning through consequences
who discovered classical conditioning
Pavlov and his dogs
in simple terms what is classical conditioning?
when two stimuli are linked together to produce a new learned response in a person or animal
what was Pavlov’s experiment with the dogs?
Pavlov showed that when a bell was sounded each time the dog was fed, the dog would soon associate the sound of the bell with the presentation of food
who did the little albert study?
Watson and Rayner (1928)
what was the aim of the little albert study?
to find out if classical conditioning works on humans, specifically to find out if a fear response can be conditioned, and to see if that fear response will then be generalised on to other/similar objects (in this case animals)
what was the procedure of the little albert study?
banging an iron bar when albert was shown the white rat (associates the striking of the iron bar with the rat = fear)
what is operant conditioning?
the process of learning through consequences
who studied operant conditioning? how?
skinner (1948) studied operant conditioning by conducting experiments using animals placed in a ‘skinner box’
what is a skinner box?
also known as an operant conditioning chamber, is a device used to objectively record an animal’s behaviour in a compressed time frame, an animal can be rewarded or punished for engaging in certain behaviour e.g lever pressing for rats or key pecking for pigeons
what is positive reinforcement?
is when a response or behaviour is strengthened by rewards, leading to the repetition of the desired behaviour
the reward is a reinforcing stimulus
give an example of positive reinforcement
for example, if your teacher gave you £5 (the reward) each time you completed your homework (desired behaviour)
= more likely to repeat this behaviour in the future
what is negative reinforcement?
the termination of an unpleasant state following a response
= the removal of an adverse stimulus which is ‘rewarding’ to the animal or person
= NOT a punishment
give an example of negative reinforcement
for example, if you don’t complete your homework, you give your teacher £5 each time
= more likely to complete your homework to avoid/prevent paying out £5
what is punishment?
involving the use of a consequence to reduce a behaviour
= form an association between the behaviour and the negative consequence
= once association is made, behaviour is less likely to occur
give an example of punishment?
for example, fining someone for driving too fast
give examples of real life applications to classical conditioning?
- taste aversion
- advertising
- phobias
what is social learning theory?
the idea that children learn from observing others, this learning is usually observed from a role model, and the child will imitate this behaviour
social learning theory plays a big role in what behaviour?
aggressive behaviour
what are the four elements to social learning theory?
A R R M
- attention
- retention
- reproduction
- motivation
social learning theory - attention
children see something unique or different, and are more likely to focus upon it
social learning theory - retention
people learn by internalising information , which can then be recalled when we want to respond to a situation in the same way which we saw
social learning theory - reproduction
we reproduce our previously learned behaviour or knowledge when it is required
social learning theory - motivation
motivation is required to do anything, normally, motivation comes from seeing someone else be rewarded or punished from something they have done , this can motivate use to do or not to do that same thing, this is known as vicarious reinforcement = ‘living through someone else’
strengths of the behaviourist perspective
- usually laboratory experiments
= standardised procedures
= carried out under experimental conditions
= control over other variables
= highly replicable
= reliable - provides evidence for the nurture debate
= allows us to investigate the effect of the environment on behaviour
= able to use practical applications e.g. therapies for the treatment of mental disorders
weaknesses of the behaviourist perspective
- provides a reductionist explanation of behaviour
= ignores the influences of biological (nature) and cognitive factors on behaviours
= less accurate in explaining complex behaviour = only ‘one’ view
= reduces validity - raises many ethical issues
= can cause psychological harm, as some learning experiences can be stressful and damaging to participants
= breaches ethical guidelines
= damages the reputation of psychology
