The behaviourist approach

• The behaviourist approach:

  • Classical conditioning - Pavlov
  • Operant conditioning - Skinner
• Classical conditioning:

  • Learning by association
  • When two stimuli occur together, we learn to associate them. The response to one may transfer to the other
  • Pavlov found this when in an investigation looking at dog salvation
  • Timing - UCS must occur shortly after NS
  • Extinction - after a few presentations of CS without UCS, CS will no longer produce CR
  • Spontaneous recovery - after extinction, if CS & UCS are paired again, the link is made much quicker
  • Stimulus generalisation - CR also to stimuli that are similar to CS
• Classical conditioning:

  1. Unconditioned stimulus
  2. Unconditioned response
  3. Neutral stimulus
  4. No response
  5. Neutral stimulus
  6. Unconditioned stimulus
  7. Unconditioned response
  8. Conditioned stimulus
  9. Conditioned response

  
• Operant conditioning - Learning by consequences

  • Skinners theory - organisms spontaneously produce different behaviours, the likelihood of them repeating any given behaviour depends on its' consequences
  • Reinforcement - something that strengthens a response & makes it more likely to occur
  • Punishment - an unpleasant consequence that decreases the likelihood of a behaviour occuring
  • Schedules of reinforcement - continuous schedule establishes a reponse quicker, partial reinforcement is more effective in maintaining reponse & avoiding extinction
• The behaviourist approach AO3:

  • ✅ Cause & effect can be established - used controlled conditions
  • ❌ Relied on animals - can't generalise
  • ❌ Determinsitic - doesn't involve free will ✅ Skinner argues free will is an illusion & choices are due to previous reinforcement
  • ✅ Applied to therapy - treats phobias (systematic desensitisation)
  • ❌ Behaviourism is limited - ignores factors such as cognitive or emotional
  • ✅ Support from case studies - Little Albert