The Learning -behaviourism- Approach

Question 1

Focus on observable behaviour

Answer 1

All behaviour is learnt through experience.

External forces shape our behaviour.

Question 2

Use of non-human animals

Answer 2

Behaviourists suggest the processes that govern learning are the same in all species.
So animals can replace humans as experimental subjects.

Question 3

Classical conditioning

Ivan Pavlov 1927

Answer 3

Neutral stimulus (bell) = no response (no salivation)
UCS (food) = UCR (salivation)

UCS (food) + NS (bell) = UCR (salivation)

CS (bell) = CR (salivation)

Question 4

Important features of classical conditioning

Answer 4

Timing
Extinction
Spontaneous recovery
Stimulus generalisation

Question 5

Timing

Answer 5

If the neutral stimulus cannot be used to predict the UCS (used after the UCS/too long time interval) = no conditioning.

Question 6

Extinction

Answer 6

The CR does not become permanently established as the response. After some presentations of the CS (bell) without the UCS (food) it doesn’t reproduce the CR.
The association is forgotten.

Question 7

Spontaneous recovery

Answer 7

If the association is forgotten when the CS and UCS are paired together again later on, the link between them is made much more quickly.

Question 8

Stimulus generalisation

Answer 8

Pavlov discovered that once an animal has been conditioned they will also respond to similar stimuli that are similar to the CS.

Question 9

Classical conditioning evaluation

Answer 9

+ real world applications -therapies
+ scientific credibility
- mechanistic view of behaviour

Question 10

Operant conditioning

Answer 10

Skinner: the consequence of a behaviour may be positive or negative and whether or not an organism repeats that behaviour depends on the nature of these consequences.

Question 11

Operant conditioning

Answer 11

Positive reinforcement: action + reward
Negative reinforcement: unpleasant action (electric shock) + avoid behaviour that caused bad action
Punishment: action + consequence

Question 12

Operant conditioning evaluation

Answer 12

\+ real world application, token economies
\+ scientific credibility 
\+ use of experimental methods
- ignores other explanations 
- reliance on non-human animals

Question 13

Evaluation of behaviourist approach

Answer 13

+ Application to treatment of phobias (classical conditioning= systematic desensitisation)
+ operant conditioning use of controlled scientific measures (Skinner determined causal relationship between positive and negative reinforcement and the likelihood of future behaviour)
- reliance on non-human animals