behaviourist approaches

• behavioural perspective

  Based off empiricism that all knowledge is gained through the senses and experiences. Locke Said at birth, the mind is a blank slate so human nature is shaped purely by the environment. This focuses on observable behaviour. Animals share the same principles of learning, i.e. classical and operant conditioning.
• pavlov dogs classical conditioning

  Pavlov proved the behavioural perspective By showing the environment shapes behaviour through association of events with one another. He found dogs automatically learn to salivate to the sound of a new stimulus such as sound if that stimulus was repeatedly paired with food.
• Pavlov’s dogs key terms

  1- Unconditioned stimulus (food)

  Leads to automatic response (drool)

  Neutral stimulus (noise)

  Leads to neutral response

  2- Conditioned stimulus (bell) plus unconditioned stimulus (food) equals unconditioned response (salvation)

  3- Conditioned stimulus (bell)

  Equals conditioned response (salvation)
• classical conditioning

  A response is produced naturally by a stimulus becoming a associated by another stimulus not normally associated with that response
• CC- extinction

  if the condition stimulus is continually presented without the unconditioned stimulus, then the conditioned response gradually dies out
• CC- one trial learning

  Conditioning occurs immediately after only one trial
• CC- discrimination

  The conditioned response is produced only by presentation of the original stimulus. It doesn’t extend to similar stimuli.
• CC- generalisation

  Extension of this conditioned response from the original stimulus to similar stimulus. This is opposite to discrimination.
• CC- spontaneous recovery

  if a conditioned response is not reinforced, it becomes extinct but after a rest the response may reappear
• operant conditioning

  Future behaviour is determined by the consequences of past behaviour. The association between a behaviour and consequence
• The law of effect

  A response followed by a satisfying consequence will become more likely to occur and a response followed by a negative consequence will become less likely to occur again
• positive reinforcement

  Encouraging a pattern of behaviour by offering a reward when the behaviour is shown
• negative reinforcement

  The process of strengthening a behaviour by removing or stopping a stimulus
• punishment

  A behaviour is less likely to re occur due to negative consequences.

  positive punishment= Adding something

  negative punishment= taking something away.
• token economy

  Individuals are rewarded with token or hug points for exhibiting good behaviour. These tokens can be exchanged for privileges.
• primary reinforcers

  Stimuli that are naturally reinforcing as they aren’t learned, but they directly satisfy a need like food or water
• secondary reinforcement

  Stimuli that are reinforced through their association with a primary reinforcer such as money
• strengths of operant conditioning

  – High in credibility as used in scientific experiments like skinners rat box to support key principles

  – High in application the use of token economies can be used to improve behaviours in a psych ward
• weaknesses of operant conditioning

  – Environmentally deterministic as it doesn’t take biological factors into account

  – We aren’t closely related to animals so it lacks generalisability

  – there are faults to the behaviour system as intrinsically we may not be motivated just playing up for a teacher
• strengths of classical conditioning

  -high application as can be used as a marketing strategy irl by advertising creating a good cr of a company

  -little Albert research support makes it credible as proves it can be used so it valid- can also be used to treat phobias
• weaknesses of classical conditioning

  -objections as doesn't take human individuality into account so it is deterministic

  -its differences to the biological approach which has better credibility and scientific proof