Behaviourist Approach

• The behaviourist approach


  Everyone is born ‘blank slate’. Behaviour explained in terms of classical (association) and operant (consequences) conditioning (learning). The environment determines our behaviour.
• Behaviourist Approach assumptions of explaining behaviour

  Mental processes are not worthy of study (not as important as the role of the environment/ experience in behaviour)
• Behaviourist Approach assumptions of the scientific method

  Psychology is a science, we should focus on observable and measurable phenomena
• Behaviourist Approach assumptions of animal research


  Believe that humans are the same as animals, therefore it is ok to generalise an animal study to humans
• Behaviourist Approach assumptions of free will


  Believes that free will is an illusion
• What is classical conditioning?

  Classical conditioning is learning through association and was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov.

   
• How did Pavlov discover Classical conditioning?

  Revealed that dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell, if that sound was repeatedly presented at the same time as they were given food. Gradually Pavlov's dogs learned to associate the sound of the bell (a stimulus) with the food (another stimulus) and would produce the salivation response every time they heard the sound.
• What is extinction in classical conditioning?

  If the bell (conditioned stimulus) in Pavlov's experiment is repeatedly presented without the food, salivation the conditioned response), will slowly disappear. This is extinction
• What is spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning?

  Even though the conditioned response appears to have been extinguished, the dog will sometimes salivate to the sound of the bell at a later time.
• What is Stimulus Generalisation in classical conditioning?

  The conditioned stimulus (the bell) could be changed in tone and volume and still produce the conditioned response of salivation
• What is the law of temporal contiguity in classical conditioning?

  The UCS and NS must come together in quicktime to produce a conditioned response
• What are Pavlovs 5 contributions?

  Classical Conditioning

  Extinction

  Spontaneous Recovery

  Stimulus Generalisation

  Timing (law of temporal contiguity)
• What are Skinners 5 contributions?

  Operant conditioning

  Positive reinforcement

  Negative Reinforcement

  Punishment

  Schedules of Reinforcement
• What is Operant conditioning?

  Learning through consequences, punishment and reinforcement
• How did Skinner discover operant conditioning?

  An experiment called the skinner box. He put rats and sometimes pigeons in a box and every time they pushed a button or a lever, they were rewarded with food. After many repetitions, the animal would continue to perform the behaviour
• What is positive reinforcement in classical conditioning?

  Being rewarded for completing a certain behaviour
• What is negative reinforcement in operant conditioning?


  Completing an action to avoid something negative
• What is punishment in operant conditioning?

  The consequence of behaviour
• What are schedules of reinforcement in operant conditioning?

  They help to influence how fast a behaviour is learnt

  partial schedules

  continuous schedules

  rewarding randomly
• what is a partial schedule in operant conditioning?

  behaviour is not reinforced every time but at specific intervals
• what is a continuous schedule in operant conditioning?

  the behaviour is reinforced every time it occurs
• what is rewarding randomly in operant conditioning?

  a variable schedule of reinforcement
• Evaluation of the behaviourist approach: Scientific


  Behaviourism was able to bring the language and methods of the natural sciences into psychology by focusing on the measurement of observable behaviour within highly controlled lab settings. By emphasising the importance of scientific processes such as objectivity and replication, behaviourism was influential in the development of psychology as a scientific discipline, giving it greater credibility and status.
• Evaluating the behaviourist approach: Real World Applications

  The principles of conditioning have been applied to a broad range of real world behaviours and problems. For instance operant conditioning is the basis of token economy systems that have been used successfully in institutions.

  classical conditioning  has been applied to the treatment of phobias .

  This is a strength for behaviourism as it gives behaviourism practical value
• Evaluating the Behaviourist approach: The use of Animals

  The processes which mediate between stimulus and response, suggest that people may play a much more active role in their own learning. This means that learning theory may apply less to human than animal behaviour.