THE BEHAVIOURST APPROACH- Behaviourist approach assumptions Flashcards
what’s the essence of the behaviourist approach
the focus on environment and learned behaviour
in the early 20th century, what did the American psychologist John B. Watson propose psychologists should do and why
study observable behaviour because it’s the only way we would be able to measure human behaviour in a scientific way
when did behaviourist psychology dominate psychology
for the first half of the 20th century
ASSUMPTION 1; HUMANS ARE BORN LIKE A —– —–. fill in the gap
BLANK SLATE
Behaviourists believe that when we are born our mind is a ‘tabula rasa’ [Latin] what does this mean in english
blank sate
According to the traditional behaviourist approach, what are we not born with
in- built mental content
According to the traditional behaviourist approach, do internal events such as thinking and emotion drive our behaviour
no
what does the traditional behaviourist approach believe our behaviour is learned from
interactions with the environment
what do we passively respond to
environmental stimuli
does the blank slate assumption support the idea of nurture over nature or nature over nurture
nurture over nature
does the blank slate assumption support the idea of nurture over nature or nature over nurture
nurture over nature
what does the nurture over nature view mean
social and environmental factors have the greatest influence on our behaviour, over innate [natural] and biological factors
what spectrum of he nature- nurture debate does the traditional behaviourist theory lie at
extreme end
what 3 nature examples of nature does the tradional behaviourist theory ignore in explaining behaviour
genetics, physiology [studies of bodily functions] and evolution
what is environmental determinism
believing our behaviour is determined by the environment we grew up in
give 2 examples of environmental determinism in early life that pre- determine our later reactions to other people and situations
association [ e.g. dentists= pain] … rewards/ punishments rewarded [e.g. getting smacked for bad behaviour
ASSUMPTION 2; BEHAVIOUR LEARNED THROUGH ————. Fill in the gap.
conditioning
for the bahaviourists, we learn through 2 types of conditioning. what are they called
cassical and operant
in classical conditioning, what is new behaviour learned through
association
who first described the process of classical conditioning in 1902
Ivan Pavlov
what observation did Ivan Pavlov use in 1902 to describe the process of classical conditioning
salivation in dogs
Before conditioning, what type of stimulus is food
unconditioned stimilus [UCS]
before conditioning, what type of response is salivation
unconditioned response [UCR]
During conditioning, what is the neutral stimulus [NS]
the sound of a bell
when does association occur during the conditioning
when the dog hears the sound of the bell
after conditioning , what type of stimulus is the bell
conditioned stimulus [CS]
what does the conditioned stimulus [bell sound] produce
a conditioned response [salivation]
in operant conditioning, what is new behaviour learned through
reinforcement
what is a reinforcement
something that will increase the chance that the behaviour will occur again
what two types of reinforcement are there
positive and negative reinforcement - both will shape behaviour
What did B.F. Skinner in 1930 demonstrate via the Skinner box
that an animal ]e.g. pigeon or rat] can learn to behave in certain ways due to being rewarded [positively reinforced] with food
via the Skinner box, what may the animal accidently do
accidently perform an action that results in a food pellet being given [e.g. pressing a lever]
as the behaviour of the animal has been reinforced [rewarded] what is the animal likely to do again
repeat this behaviour
does negative reinforcement strengthen or weaken behaviour
strengthens
how does negative reinforcement strengthen behaviour
because it involved escaping something unpleasant
name an example of negative reinforcement in school
completing your homework may result in you avoiding detention or avoiding making your teacher angry, so you will be more likely to complete your homework next time
in operant conditioning, what is behaviour also learned through besides positive and negative reinforcement
punishment
does punishment weaken or strengthen behaviour
weaken - should decrease the likelihood that the behaviour will reoccur again
what is punishment the opposite of
reinforcement
via the Skinner box, explain an example of punishment and its result
if the rat received a shock following pressing the ever rather than a food pellet, they were less likely to press the lever again
ASSUMPTION 3; —— AND ANIMALS LEARN IN SIMILAR WAYS. Fill in the gap.
humans
what law is the same for both humans and non- human animals
the law of learning
what does studying animal behaviour in a laboratory environment allow us to do about human behaviour
make generalisations
Pavlov, for example, developed the principles of classical conditioning with dogs, where he showed how they could be conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell, applying the principles to humans … what therapies has the same principle been applied in and what do these therapies do
behaviourist therapies, to help people overcome problems such as phobias
an example of a behaviourist therapy is systematic desensitisation. what is done here
the client will learn to associate the phobic object [e.g. having an injection] with feelings of relaxation, instead of anxiety
similarly, operant conditioning principles that were developed in the confinements of a laboratory with animals [e.g. Skinner’s research with rats] are applied in many contexts to shape human behaviour. name two examples
education and in prisons
token economy systems are a classic example of operant conditioning being used in education and prison. what happens within token economy systems
desirable behaviour is reinforced with tokens that can be exchanged for rewards such as sweets and cigarettes
As behaviourists believe that all behaviour is learned from the environment, what factors would they believe will be most influential in the formation of relationships
external factors
According to operant conditioning principles, what two things drive our behaviour
reinforcements and punishments
how may a new relationship be positively reinforcing
the attention someone gives us , their compliments or even having the company of someone we like is rewarding
For the the reasons of feeling rewarded by the good qualities of relationship, what are we likely to do
repeat the behaviour, i.e. spend more time with them
how does negative reinforcement play out when being with somebody else
may help us avoid feelings of loneliness and rejection and successfully avoiding these feelings is also reinforcing [negative reinforcement]
besides avoiding feelings of loneliness and rejection through relationships [negative reinforcement], how may having no relationship be a punishment
being on the receiving end of nasty comments from others or excluded from events where only couples are invited
what will the punishments coming from not having a relationship increase the likelihood of
us wanting to form a relationship
As well as liking people with whom we share a pleasant experience, we also like people who are associated with what
pleasant events
if we meet someone when we are feeling happy [positive mood], are we much more or less inclined to them than if we meet them when we are feeling unhappy [negative mood]
much more
in this case, what’s an example of a previously neutral stimulus
someone we had not previously met therefore have no real feelings about
in this case, what can a previously neutral stimulus become and why
they can become positively valued because of their association with a pleasant event [i.e. we learn to like people through the process of classical conditioning]
in modern days, what are the principles of operant conditioning used in and what does this help form
in pet training and these help form good pet- owner relationships
give an example of how operant conditioning can be used in pet training
training dogs usually involves rewarding good behaviour with a treat, such as waiting until a dog sits and giving a reward, or walking without pulling on its leash
because these rewards will increase contentment in both the owner and dog, is the behaviour more or less likely to be repeated
more likely
what have studies shown within the link of per owners and depression
pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets
what have studies shown within the link of blood pressure in stressful situations ad pet owners
people with pets have lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those without pets.
because of what studies have shown, how does the presence of a pet link with classical conditioning
the presence of a pet is generally associated with positive feelings such as companionship and loyalty.
