Behaviourist Approach

• Behaviourist approach


  All behaviour is learnt through the environment.
• Assumptions


  - All behaviour is learnt from environment, blank slates

  - Mind is irrelevant

  - Lab studies

  - Learning processes are the same in humans and animals
• Classical Conditioning


  A type of learning where an unconditioned stimulus is paired with a neutral stimulus and produces a conditioned response.
• Operant Conditioning


  A method of learning due to rewards and consequences for behaviour.
• Classical Conditioning - Experiment - Pavlov's Dog


  US - Meat - The dog was presented with meat

  UR - Saliva - The dog produced saliva as a result

  NS - Bell - The bell was rang at the same time so the dog associates the bell with meat.

  CS - Bell - The bell rings.

  CR - Saliva - The dog produces saliva when the bell rings as it associates it with meat.

  
  

  The unconditioned stimulus is paired with the neutral stimulus due to association during classical conditioning.

  
• Classical Conditioning - Experiment - Little Albert Experiment


  Aversion Therapy

  Watson & Rayner wanted to test if classical conditioning would work on humans.

  US - hitting steel bar with hammer when he pet the rat

  UR - fear

  NS - white rat

  CS - white rat

  CR - fear

  His fear was generalised to similar things like fur coats and cotton wool.

  
  

  Ethical Problems:

  -they experimented on and traumatised a human baby

  
  

  -Albert's mam was mislead with what she was signing him up to and withdrew him from the second experiment where they were going to counter condition him.

  
• Operant Conditioning - Reinforcement and Punishment


  Positive/ Negative + Reinforcement/ Punishment

  
  

  Positive Reinforcement - Getting a reward as incentive to keep repeating a behaviour

  Eg Getting a chocolate for answering a question in class

  
  

  Negative Reinforcement - Removing punishment as incentive to repeat behaviour

  Eg No homework next week if class finishes work in time

  
  

  Positive Punishment - Receiving an unpleasant punishment as a consequence of behaviour

  Eg Extra homework if you hand it in late

  
  

  Negative Punishment - Getting something taken away as a consequence of behaviour

  Eg No break time if you misbehave in class

  
• Operant Conditioning - Experiment - Skinner Box


  Skinner placed rats in a box with a lever that would release food when pressed. From then on the rat would repeat this behaviour to keep getting rewarded with food.

  
  

  He also showed how they would have incentive to repeatedly perform a behaviour to avoid an unpleasant stimulus such as an electric shock.

  
• Operant Conditioning - Token Economy


  - encourage desirable behaviour and discourage undesirable behaviour.

  - used to develop good routines and reduce symptoms.

  - it is used in schools, prisons and psychiatric hospitals.

  
  

  - The subject is given a token as a secondary reward for behaviour(stickers, points, stars etc)

  - Incentive is that these secondary rewards will lead to a primary reward(the one they want) such as their favourite toy or extra free-time.

  - This makes them want to keep going to earn the primary reward.

  
  

  Aim

  - help autistic children be able to get help if they need it by giving them tokens for answering questions such as 'what is your name' or 'what is your address'.

  
• Ethical Issues


  Animals were often kept in harsh, cramped conditions.

  They were also kept below their natural weight so were always hungry.