The Behaviourist Approach

• Who was the father of Behaviourism?

  Watson
• Behaviourists believe that behaviour can be learnt and studied in a systematic, objective way.
• Strengths of conditioning

  • Scientific approach - objective
  • Practical applications therapies
• Weaknesses of conditioning:

  • Mechanistic view of human behaviour -ignores cognition and free will
  • Ethics of animal experiments
  • Ignores the nature nurture approach