Behavourist approach

• who founded the behaviourist approach


  JB Watson
• what are the key assumptions to the behaviourist approach


  1)people learn behaviour from their environment 2)only measurable behaviour should be studied 3) Animals can be used in research as they're similar to humans
• what is classical conditioning


  learning through association
• what is an unconditioned stimulus


  produces a response that's automatic and not learned
• define unconditioned response


  automatic response that's not learnt
• define neutral stimulus


  an object that wont produce a response at all
• define conditioned stimulus


  the neutral stimulus becomes this once conditioned and will now produce a response
• define conditioned response


  response given to a stimulus that's learnt
• define time continuity


  association only occurs if the neutral stimulus and conditioned stimulus are paired together close in time
• define extinction


  if the conditioned stimulus is presented on its own several times the unconditioned stimulus then becomes unlearnt
• define stimulus generalisation


  the stimulus can be varied slightly and the conditioned response will still occur
• what was the little albert experiment


  Albert was shown objects and he liked the white rat the most. When shown the rat again it was associated with a loud bang which caused Albert to become scared of the rat
• what were the components before conditioning in the experiment


  loud bang (UCS) creates child's fear (UCR) and rat(NS) creates no fear (UCR)
• What were the components during conditioning in the experiment


  Rat (NS) + Loud bang (UCS) creates child fear (UCR)
• what were the components after conditioning in the experiment


  Rat (CS) creates child fear (CR)