the behavourist approach Flashcards
what does empiricism mean?
when we explain behaviour from observation and experience alone rather than innate factors
what is introspection?
observation of own inner mental processes in order to gain insight
who is considered the father of psychology?
Wilhelm Wundt
what is the scientific method?
refers to investigative methods that are
-objective
-systematic
-replicable
-falsifiable
What did Csikzentmihalyi find?
that young people compared to younger generations are more unhappy than happy
-but found that they were happier when doing a challenging task
what does behaviourist mean?
people who believe that human behaviour can be explained in terms of conditioning, without the need to consider thoughts and feelings
what is classical conditioning?
when a neutral stimulus is consistently paired with an unconditioned stimulus so that it eventually takes on the properties of this stimulus and is able to produce a conditioned response
what is operant conditioning?
learning through reinforcement or punishment
if a behaviour is followed by a desirable consequence then that behaviour is more likely to occur again in the future
what is punishment?
the application of an unpleasant consequence following a behaviour with the result that the behaviour is less likely to occur again in the future
what is reinforcement?
anything that strengthens a response and increases the likelihood that it will occur again in the future
what is the s-r bond?
stimulus response bond
what did pavlov do?
-conditioned dogs to salivate when they hear the bell instead of the footsteps
-classical conditioning
what did skinner do?
-conditioned the rats to push the lever to get food instead of being shocked
operant conditioning
what did watson do?
-conditioned little albert, a 9 month old baby to have a fear of things with fur and he was presented a white rat whilst there was a loud noise behind him which cause stimulus generalisation with anything similar to a rat
-caused a fear response
what is identification?
a form of influence where an individual adopts an attitude or behaviour because they want to be associated with a particular person or group
what is imitation?
the action of using someone or something as a model and copying their behaviour
what are mediational processes?
refer to the internal mental processes that exist between environmental stimuli and the response made by an individual to those stimuli
what is modelling?
a form of learning where individuals learn a particular behaviour by observing another individual performing that behaviour
what is the social learning theory?
learning through observing others and imitating behaviours that are rewarded
what is vicarious reinforcement?
learning that is not a result of direct reinforcement of behaviour, but through observing someone else being reinforced for that behaviour
what is empiricism?
when we explain behaviour from observation & experience alone (rather than innate factors)
what is mundane realism?
means how much a research study’s conditions and scenarios resemble everyday life. High mundane realism means it’s like real life, while low mundane realism means it’s less like real life. It’s important to consider when judging how well study findings apply to the real world.
what is extinction?
pavlov discovered that unlike the UCR the CR does not become permanently established as a response if it is not reinforced enough
what is spontaneous recovery?
following extinction if the CS & UCS are paired together again the link is made more quickly
what is stimulus generalisation?
responses to stimuli similar to CS
what is systematic desensitisation?
a therapy based on classical conditioning which treat phobias
what is counter conditioning?
a psychological technique that helps replace unwanted behaviors with more desirable ones by associating the unwanted behavior with positive or neutral stimuli. It’s often used to change how someone responds to a certain situation or stimulus.
what is reciprocal inhibition?
Reciprocal inhibition, in simple terms, is a technique in psychology where you reduce anxiety or fear by introducing a contrasting, incompatible emotion or behavior, like relaxation. This helps to counter and reduce the unwanted emotion or behavior.
what is reinforcement?
something in the environment that strengthens (or reinforces) a particular behaviour
what is positive reinforcement?
when a behaviour produces a consequence that is satisfying or pleasant for the organism
what is negative reinforcement?
remove something aversive (unpleasant) and so restore the organism to its “pre aversive” state
what are schedules or reinforcement?
continuous reinforcement- more effective in establishing particular response
partial reinforcement- more effective in maintaining that response & avoiding extinction
what is punishment?
application of unpleasant consequence following a behaviour
