The Learning Approach: Behaviourism

Question 1

The behaviourist approach is only concerned with studying behaviour that can be

Answer 1

Observed and measured

Question 2

The behaviourist approach is not concerned with

Answer 2

Mental processes of the mind

Question 3

Introspection was

Answer 3

Rejected by behaviourists as its concepts were vague and difficult to measure

Question 4

Behaviourists tried to maintain more

Answer 4

Control and objectivity within their research and relied on lab studies to achieve this

Question 5

Behaviourists suggest the processes that govern learning are

Answer 5

Same in all species so animals can replace humans as experimental subjects

Question 6

Who came up with classical conditioning

Answer 6

Pavlov

Question 7

Classical conditioning is learning through

Answer 7

Association

Question 8

UCS

Answer 8

Food

Question 9

UCR

Answer 9

Salvation

Question 10

NS

Answer 10

Bell

Question 11

What did Pavlov do to dogs?

Answer 11

Conditioned dogs to salvage when a bell rings

Question 12

UCS = UCR = NS

Answer 12

Before conditioning

No response to NS (bell)

Question 13

NS + UCS

Answer 13

During conditioning.

Bell and food occur at the same time.

Question 14

CS = CR

Answer 14

After conditioning.
CS = bell
CR = salvation

Question 15

Pavlov showed how a natural stimulus (bell) can come to elicit

Answer 15

A new learning response (conditioned response) through association

Question 16

Who came up with Operant conditioning?

Answer 16

Skinner

Question 17

Operant conditioning says that learning is an

Answer 17

Active process whereby humans and animals operate on their environment

Question 18

Operant conditioning says that behaviour is shaped and maintained by its

Answer 18

Consequences

Question 19

Skinners research AO1

Answer 19

Rats were placed into specially designed boxes.
They had to pull leavers to receive a treat.
If they pushed a leaver then they got an electric shock.

Question 20

Skinner findings

Answer 20

The animals figured out what they had to do to get a treat so they repeated the behaviour

Question 21

There are three types of consequences of behaviour

Answer 21

Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Punishment

Question 22

Positive reinforcement

Answer 22

Receiving a reward when behaviour is performed to likelihood of the behaviour being performed again is increased.

Question 23

Negative reinforcement

Answer 23

When an animal or human produces behaviour that avoids something unpleasant, increases the likelihood of that behaviour.

Question 24

Punishment

Answer 24

An unpleasant consequences of behaviour, which decreases the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated.

Question 25

Positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement increase the likelihood that

Answer 25

Behaviour will be repeated

Question 26

Punishment decreases the likelihood that behaviour will be

Answer 26

Repeated

Question 27

The approach focuses on the careful measurement of

Answer 27

Observable behaviour within controlled lab settings

Question 28

Behaviourists emphasised the importance of

Answer 28

Scientific processes such as objectivity and replication

Question 29

Scientific credibility AO3

Answer 29

Because behaviourists found scientific processes to be so important, this brought the language and methods of the natural sciences into psychology, giving the subject greater credibility and status

Question 30

Real-life application AO3

Answer 30

The principles of conditioning have been applied to a broad range of-world behaviours and problems, e.g. token economies in prisons and psychiatric wards (operant conditioning).

Question 31

Token economy is a good treatment for patients who

Answer 31

Lack ‘insight’ into their condition and are not capable of talking about their problems

Question 32

Theory might not apply well to humans AO3

Answer 32

Animals and humans are seen as passive and machine-like responders to the environment, with little conscious insight into their behaviour, other approaches, such as social learning theory and the cognitive approach have placed more emphasis on mental events that occur during learning, suggesting humans play more active role in learning, so theory might not apply well to humans.

Question 33

Deterministic AO3

Answer 33

The approach sees all behaviour as determined by past experiences that have been conditioned and ignore any influence that free will may have on behaviour. Skinner argued free will was an illusion and past conditioning determines outcome of decisions - this is extreme position that ignores influence of conscious decisioning making on behaviour. (hard environmental determinism).

Question 34

Ethical issues with Skinner AO3

Answer 34

Although experimental procedures such as the skinners box allowed behaviourists to a high degree of control over their research subjects, criteria have drawn attention to the ethical issues involved

Question 35

Issue with validity as… (AO3)

Answer 35

The animals were exposed to stressful and aversive conditions and this may have affected his they reacted to the experimental situation. The animal stress means the validity of the findings from these might be questioned because the observed behaviour was not ‘normal’.