Behaviourist

• Behavioural approach: A way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning
• Classical conditioning: learning through association
• Stimulus: a change or event in an environment
• Response: a reaction because the stimulus has been detected
• Stimulus + Response = Behaviour
• Conditioned = learned
• unconditioned = not learned
• Pavlov's dogs: Trained to salivate when a bell was rung (classical conditioning)
• Baby Albert: Trained to fear anything white and fluffy using loud noise (classical conditioning). Only conditioned with rats but fear anything white and fluffy. Pulled from the experiment so couldn't be unconditioned. Had water on the brain which affected his development leading to inaccuracy's in the study.
• Before: UCS = UCR NS = NR During: UCS + NS = UCR After: CS = CR
• Operant conditioning: Learning through consequences
• Reinforcement: A consequence of a behaviour that increases the likelihood that it will be repeated in the future. Positive or Negative
• Positive: Adding to a situation
• Negative: Taking away from a situation
• Positive reinforcement: Receiving a reward for performing a behaviour
• Negative reinforcement: removing something (usually unpleasant) by performing a behaviour
• Punishment: A consequence of a behaviour that decreases the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated in the future
• Positive and negative reinforcement encourage the behaviour and lead to a positive outcome where as punishment discourages the behaviour and leads to a negative outcome.
• Skinner‘s box: a rat is placed in a controlled box with a lever, dispenser and electrified grid floor
• Skinner’s box positive reinforcement: the rat pushed the response lever and receives a food pellet
• Skinner’s box negative reinforcement: the electrified grid is on, the rat pushes the response lever and it turns off
• Skinner’s box punishment: the rat pushes the response lever and the electrified grid turns on
• behaviourist strengths:

  controlled research - skinners box had controlled variables, Pavlov's dogs had tubes to collect their saliva, clear cause and effect

  application - token economies, completing tasks, earning tokens, exchanging for rewards, used in prisons and psychiatric wards to increase quality of life
• behaviourist weaknesses:

  ethical issues - traumatised baby albert, refusing to let dogs socialise, starving rats

  environmental determinism - you only perform behaviour you've been taught, creates an excuse, shifts blame, undermines justice system