Behaviourism

• Who were the key figures in the development of behaviorism?


  John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner.
• What is classical conditioning?


  A learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus.
• What is operant conditioning?


  A method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior.
• What is a real-life application of operant conditioning?


  Token economy systems in institutions like prisons and psychiatric wards.
• What's the skinner box


  Rat activated lever and it was rewarded with food, animal would continue to do that behaviour.

  He showed how rats can perform the same behaviour to avoid unpleasant stimuli like electric shock.
• Evaluations of behaviourism


  STRENGTHS

  1.scientific credibility-focuses on the measurement on observable behaviour

  2.real life application-conditioning principles have been applied to real world issues

  WEAKNESSES

  3.Mechanistic view of behaviour: humans and animals are passive and machine-like responders to environmental stimuli with little conscious insight. Compared to SLT and cognitive approach it's more active.

  4.Ethical issues in animals- high degree of control but it's unethical because it caused stress on the animals in the skinner box
• what are the assumptions of behaviourist approach

  Its observable and basic processes happen in all species

  . All human behaviour can be unlearned once learned

  .humans are no different from animals and shouldn't be regarded as more complex

  .research in animals us directly relevant to humans
• whats classical conditioning


  Its by Pavlov association of the neutral stimulus with the unconditioned stimulus to produce new conditioned stimulus and conditioned response
• what is the behaviourist approach


  all behaviour is learning through association or reinforcement
• What are 2 strengths for behaviourist approach


  Influential in the use of animals for research since there's more control without demand characteristics

  . Little Albert supports the behaviourist approach and shows phobias can be learned through the process of classical conditioning