behaviour approaches

• ◦Pavlov – classical conditioning
• ◦Skinner – operant conditioning
• —All behaviour is learnt from the environment. We learn new behaviour through classical or operant conditioning.
• Behaviourism is primarily concerned with observable behaviour, as opposed to internal events like thinking and emotion. Observable (i.e. external) behaviour can be objectively and scientifically measured
• —Psychology is a Science so behaviour must be measured in highly controlled environments to establish cause and effect. Therefore, they mainly rely on laboratory experiments.
• When born our mind is a blank slate.
• There is little difference between the learning that takes place in humans and that in other animals. Therefore, research can be carried out on animals as well as humans.
• —Stimulus:  anything, internal or external, that brings about a response
• Response: any reaction in the presence of the stimulus
• Classical conditioning

  • Pavlov - classical conditioning, suggested that this is a way that animals and people can learn to link two things together.  He tested this on animals.
  • Classical conditioning involves pairing a response naturally caused by one stimulus with another, previously neutral stimulus.
• classical conditioning is a learning process which builds up an association between two stimuli through repeated pairings.
• • White rat (NS) à no fear of rats (before conditioning)
  • A loud bang (UCS) à causes fear and anxiety (UCR) (before conditioning)
  • White rat (NS) and loud bang (UCS) à causes fear (UCR) (during conditioning)
  • White rat (CS) à fear (CR) (evidence of conditioning)
• Timing – if the NS is presented after the UCS, or it is presented before but, there is a big time gap between the NS and UCS, conditioning does not take place.
• Extinction – a CR is not permanent. If the CS is presented enough times without the UCS, it loses its ability to produce a CR.
• #Spontaneous recovery – following extinction, if the CS and UCS are paired together again, the association between them is made much more quickly.
• Generalisation – a CR is produced to stimuli similar to the CS.
• operant conditioning

  • B.F. Skinner claimed that all behaviour is learnt as a result of consequences in our environment – operant conditioning.
  • This involves learning through the consequences (positive and negative) of behavioural responses.
  • Reinforcement: a consequence of behaviour that increases the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated.
  • Punishment:  a consequence of behaviour that decreases the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated
• Positive reinforcement increases the likelihood of a response occurring because it involves a reward for the behaviour.
• Negative reinforcement increases the likelihood of a response occurring because it involves the removal of, or escaping from, unpleasant consequences (e.g. it leads to stopping or avoiding an electric shock)
• Positive punishment = The consequence is receiving something unpleasant which decreases the probability of the behaviour being repeated (e.g. the behaviour leads to an electric shock or a smack).
• Negative punishment = The consequence is removing something desirable and decreases probability of the behaviour being repeated
• Operant conditioning has been applied to the treatment of behaviour.
• The Skinner box is a small box structure designed to block out light and sound to reduce external stimuli and for the purpose of testing small animals and reinforcing their positive behavior and minimizing their negative behavior.
• Who devised the Skinner box?

  1. F. Skinner
• What is the purpose of the Skinner box?

  To study behavior in a controlled environment
• What types of animals were usually placed in the Skinner box?

  Rats or pigeons
• What does the lever in the Skinner box do when pressed?

  It releases food or a shape for the pigeon to peck
• What device is located outside the Skinner box?

  A device that records the frequency of lever pressing
• What is positive reinforcement in the context of the Skinner box?

  It is when pressing the lever leads to receiving food
• What happens when a hungry rat is placed in the Skinner box?

  It accidentally presses the lever and receives food
• How does the rat learn to press the lever over time?

  By associating lever pressing with the reward of food
• What effect does negative reinforcement have on the rats' behavior?

  It leads to an increase in lever pressing
• How do both positive and negative reinforcement affect behavior in the Skinner box?

  Both lead to an increase in the behavior of pressing the lever
• What are the key components of the Skinner box experiment?

  • Controlled environment
  • Lever that releases food or shapes
  • Device recording lever pressing frequency
  • Positive reinforcement (food reward)
  • Negative reinforcement (stopping unpleasant stimuli)
• What type of reinforcement did Skinner experiment with besides positive reinforcement?

  Negative reinforcement
• What is one strength of classical conditioning?

  Supporting research from Watson and Rayner (1920)
• What was the aim of Watson and Rayner's study in 1920?

  To create a phobia in a 9-month-old child
• What was the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) in Watson and Rayner's study?

  The loud noise
• What was the unconditioned response (UCR) in Watson and Rayner's study?

  Fear
• What was the neutral stimulus (NS) at the beginning of the study?

  The white rat