Behaviourism

• What does behaviourism primarily focus on?

  Observable behaviour
• Why must behaviour be measured in controlled environments?

  To establish cause and effect
• What is the state of the mind at birth according to behaviourism?

  A blank slate
• How does behaviourism view the learning process in humans and animals?

  Little difference exists between them
• What is the basis of behaviour according to behaviourism?

  Stimulus-response associations
• How do we learn new behaviour according to behaviourism?

  Through classical or operant conditioning
• What are the key concepts of behaviourism?

  • Stimulus: Anything that brings about a response
  • Response: Any reaction to a stimulus
  • Reinforcement: Strengthening a response
• What is an Unconditional Stimulus in classical conditioning?

  Stimulus that naturally produces a response
• What did Pavlov establish about meat in his experiment?

  It caused the dog to salivate
• What was the dog's response to the tone before conditioning?

  No salivation
• What happens during the conditioning phase in Pavlov's experiment?

  The tone is presented with food
• What is the Conditioned Stimulus after conditioning?

  The tone
• What is the difference between Unconditioned Response and Conditioned Response?

  Unconditioned is innate; conditioned is learned
• What is Positive Reinforcement?

  Reward increases likelihood of a response
• Give an example of Positive Reinforcement.

  Worker gets paid a bonus
• What is Negative Reinforcement?

  Removal of unpleasant consequences increases response
• What is Punishment in behaviourism?

  Receiving something unpleasant decreases behaviour
• Why is timing important in operant conditioning?

  Associations must be made close together
• What are some applications of operant conditioning?

  • Social skills training for offenders
  • Token economy systems in institutions
  • Behaviour shaping techniques
• What are the strengths of the behaviourist approach?

  • Scientific and testable theories
  • Influences all areas of psychology
  • High reliability and replicability
  • Mainly quantitative data for analysis
• What are the limitations of the behaviourist approach?

  • Ignores mental processes in learning
  • Reductionist and deterministic
  • Lacks ecological validity
  • Ethical issues in research
  • Limited qualitative data
• Why is the relevance of animal studies to human behaviour questionable?

  Findings from animals may not apply to humans
• What is a strength of the behaviorist approach in psychology?

  It is very scientific and testable
• How does the experimental method benefit the behaviorist approach?

  It helps establish cause and effect relationships
• What type of data is primarily used in the behaviorist approach?

  Mainly quantitative data
• Why is the behaviorist approach considered replicable?

  Due to high control in experiments
• How can behaviorist explanations be applied in real-world scenarios?

  To explain various behaviors in practical contexts
• What is a limitation of the behaviorist approach regarding learning?

  It cannot explain insight learning
• What important aspect does the behaviorist approach ignore?

  Important mental processes involved in learning
• Why is the behaviorist approach considered reductionist?

  It only considers nurture, ignoring other influences
• What does it mean that the behaviorist approach is deterministic?

  It ignores the concept of free will
• What is a drawback of the behaviorist approach regarding ecological validity?

  Lack of ecological validity in controlled experiments
• What ethical issue is associated with the behaviorist approach?

  Not all research meets ethical guidelines
• What type of data is lacking in the behaviorist approach?

  Lack of qualitative data
• Why is the relevance of findings from animal studies to human behavior considered dubious?

  Much data is obtained from non-human species