WORKSHEET 2 (A): Behaviourism - Skinner and Pavlov

Question 1

Tabula rasa

Answer 1

Children are born as a blank slate with no knowledge of the world or about language, so they need to be shaped by the environment.

Question 2

Observable behaviour

Answer 2

The perceptible aspects of Language and it’s the opposite of internal behaviour (thinking)

Question 3

Stimulus, response and reinforcement

Answer 3

In the stimulus response theory, the person is exposed to a stimulus from the outside and the behavior is the response. (reaction).
This behavior can be punished if it’s a negative (unwanted) behavior, or reinforced if it is a positive (wanted) behavior.

Question 4

Habit formation

Answer 4

If a particular response is reinforced, it becomes a habit or is conditioned.

Question 5

Role of the environment in behaviourism

Answer 5

it is the source of everything the child needs to learn.

Question 6

Operant conditioning

Answer 6

is a process by which humans and animals learn to behave in such a way as to obtain rewards and avoid punishments.

Question 7

Operants:

Answer 7

sets of responses that are emitted and governed by the consequences they produce.

Question 8

Define ‘‘learning’’ based on the classical conditioning theory by Pavlov

Answer 8

Learning: the formation of associations between stimuli and reflexive responses.

Question 9

Explain the Law of effect by Thorndike

Answer 9

Stimuli that occurred after a behaviour had an influence on future behaviours (paved the way for Skinner).