behaviourist approach

• what are the main assumptions of the behaviourist approach?

  • we are all born a "blank slate" ("tabula rasa") - all behaviours are learnt
  • the environment that we are in determines our behaviour
  • the basic laws that explain animal behaviour can also be used to explain human behaviour
  • it is sufficient to focus on external and observable behaviour to explain one's behaviour
  • no need to look at internal processes such as thinking or emotions
  • behaviour must be measured in highly controlled environments, since psychology is a science
  • behaviour is the result of stimulus - response
• who studied classical conditioning?

  pavlov (1890's)
• pavlov (1890's)...

  argued that behaviours are learnt through association with that specific behaviour

  originally was studying digestion in dogs
• what animal did pavlov use in his study?

  dogs
• what was the process of pavlov's study?

  first, he established that meat caused the dog to salivate

  then he established that the sound of a tone did not cause the dog to salivate

  he then introduced the sound with the food
• what was the unconditioned stimulus and response in pavlov's study?

  unconditioned stimulus = food

  unconditioned response = salivation

  unconditioned stimulus = unconditioned response
• what was the conditioned stimulus in pavlov's study?

  the sound of the tone

  unconditioned stimulus (food) + conditioned stimulus (tone) = unconditioned response
• what was the unconditioned response in pavlov's study?

  salvation
• what does the conditioned stimulus ultimately lead to?

  the unconditioned response (salivating) will eventually occur from just the conditioned stimulus (the tone)
• who conducted a study on operant conditioning?

  skinner
• what are the two types of conditioning?

  classical and operant
• who conducted research on classical cond?

  pavlov
• what year was skinners study?

  1953
• what are the three types of consequences for behaviour in skinner’s study?

  positive reinforcement

  negative reinforcement

  punishment
• positive reinforcement…

  recieving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed
• negative reinforcement…

  when one avoids something unpleasant - skinners rats avoiding an electric shock by pressing the lever
• punishment…

  an unpleasant consequence due to one’s behaviour
• what are some evaluation points of the behaviourist approach?

  has good scientific credibility - highly controlled lab settings, has been replicated well

  real-life applications - phobias

  often sees animals/humans as “machine-like” - doesn’t take conscious insight/free will into account

  ethical issues - testing on animals