Behaviourist Approach

• What is Classical conditioning

  Learning through association
• How does classical conditioning work?

  When a neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus repeatedly, and then creates a conditioned response.
• What is an example of classical conditioning?

  Pavlov's dogs
• What did Pavlov discover that dogs could be classically conditioned to do?

  Salivate to the sound of the bell.
• What is Operant conditioning?

  Learning through consequences.
• What is positive reinforcement?

  Receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed which increases the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated.
• What is an example of positive reinforcement?

  Receiving a gold sticker.
• What is negative reinforcement?

  Behaving a particular way to avoid an unpleasant consequence and therefore increases the likelihood that the behaviour will be repeated.
• What is an example of negative reinforcement?

  Completing homework on time to avoid detention.
• What is punishment?

  An unpleasant consequence of behaviour which decreases the likelihood of behaviour being repeated.
• What is an example of punishment?

  Being shouted at by a teacher in lesson for talking.
• What is a key study of the approach?

  Skinner's rat
• What was the method for Skinner's study?

  1. Skinner developed a special cage in order to investigate operant conditioning - 'Skinner's box'.
  2. He left the animal in the box and measured how frequently it pressed a lever over time
  3. Everytime the rat activated a lever within the box it was rewarded with a food pellet.
• What was Skinner's findings?

  1. Animal would continue to push the lever in order to receive the reward (pellet) - rats were positively reinforced (demonstrating operant conditioning). When the green light was on, an electric shock was given when the lever was pulled - Rats learnt to stop pulling the lever and running away - negative reinforcement.
• What is the practical applications of the approach?

  Token economies in prisons - being rewarded for good behaviour in prisons such as making their beds in exchange for a phone call home.
• What is the research support for the approach?

  Skinner's rats - showcasing negative and positive reinforcement of operant conditioning.
• What is a limitation of the research support?

  Animal bias - Skinner relied on rats for research (animals rely on instinct whereas humans use logic and cognition for behaviour). The supporting research cannot be applied to humans.
• Why is it environmentally reductionist?


  It ignores other explanations of behaviour such as the biological approach - hormones, genes, neurochemistry etc - only offers a partial explanation of behaviour.