BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH

• What are assumptions of the behaviourist approach?


  All behaviour is learnt

  Born a 'blank slate'

  Human behaviour should be studies scientifically

  Our environment shapes our behaviour.
• What is classical conditioning?


  When you learn through stimulus response associations, and it links an existing behaviour with a new stimulus.
• Ian Pavlov (1900s)

  Researched the salivation reflex on dogs when fed.

  Food= UCS

  Dog salivates= UCR -CR

  Bell= NS - CS

  
  

  Can also use Little Albert (Watson and Rayner)
• What is generalisation?


  A similar stimulus to the original. CS produces the CR.
• What is discrimination?


  When a similar stimuli to the original CS doesn't produce the CR Bec cause it's too different.
• How has Pavlov contributed?


  Provided therapies for the treatment of disorders such as phobias.

  experiments showed learning could be investigated experimentally and using non human participants.
• What is operant conditioning?


  Focuses on the behaviour the animal/ human makes and the consequence of that behaviour. The consequence shapes whether or not the behaviour is repeated.
• What are three types of reinforcement?

  Postive reinforcement

  Negative reinforcement

  Punishment
• Skinner - Skinners box

  When a lever is pressed - rat receives food - positive reinforcement.

  When right side of lever is pressed - rat is electrocuted - negative reinforcement.
• What is a strength of the behaviourist approach?


  Empirical scientific methods - used on human and non human animals.

  CC and OC focus on observable behaviours to allow researchers to support/refute claims.

  Evidence is gathered through replication of research.

  Enables prediction and control of behaviour and how this applies to human behaviour.
• What is a strength of the behaviourist approach?


  Real life application - therapy techniques in SD and flooding and aversion therapy have been successful in eliminating maladaptive behaviour in real life.

  Allyon and Azrin (1968) - found that positive reinforcement led to an increase in certain behaviours in psychiatric patients - impact of reinforcement on learning.
• What is a weakness of the behaviourist approach?


  Reductionist - lack meaning when it comes to complex human behaviours - neglect the whole person, especially in SD and flooding.

  Little attempt is made to understand the meaning behind the issue.
• What is a weakness of the behaviourist approach?

  Research is mainly on non human animals - they may not be applicable to humans as we are different - have conscious insight and we play an active role in our learning. e.g through stimulus response relationships.
• What is a weakness of the behaviourist approach?


  Unethical - electrocution can be seen as unethical

  However, research on animals is more ethical than researching on humans and has led to important discoveries that have been beneficial