behaviourist approach

• What is a strength of the behaviourist approach?

  Real-world application
• How have the principles of operant conditioning been applied in real-world settings?

  Used in token economy systems in institutions like prisons and psychiatric wards to reward appropriate behaviour
• What is another strength of the behaviourist approach?

  Well-controlled research
• How did the behaviourist approach focus on the measurement of observable behaviour?

  By breaking down behaviour into basic stimulus-response units and removing extraneous variables in highly controlled lab settings
• What is a counterpoint to the strength of well-controlled behaviourist research?

  Behaviourists may have oversimplified the learning process by reducing it to simple components and ignoring the influence of human thought
• What ethical issues were raised regarding behaviourist experiments?

  Animals were housed in harsh, cramped conditions and deliberately kept below their natural weight
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the behaviourist approach?

  Strengths:

  • Real-world application (e.g. token economy systems)
  • Well-controlled research (breaking down behaviour into stimulus-response units)

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • May have oversimplified the learning process by ignoring mental processes
  • Ethical issues with treatment of animal subjects (harsh conditions, kept below natural weight)