Behaviourist Approach

• What is the central assumption of the behaviorist approach regarding behavior?

  All behavior is learned
• The behaviorist approach assumes that everyone is born as a 'blank slate
• According to behaviorism, all behavior is learned from the environment.
• What is one of the key approaches used in behaviorism to understand behavior?

  Stimulus-response approach
• Only behaviors that can be directly observed can be measured
• Memory cannot be measured in behaviorism because it cannot be directly observed.
• What type of methods are considered the only valid way to study behavior in behaviorism?

  Lab-based, scientific methods
• Classical conditioning and operant conditioning underpin the principles of behaviorism
• What is the core principle of classical conditioning?

  Learning via association
• An unconditioned stimulus produces a natural, unforced response.
• The unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is the starting point in the mechanisms of classical conditioning
• What is an example of an unconditioned response (UCR) to food?

  Salivation
• When a neutral stimulus is paired with a UCS, the response remains the UCR.
• After repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus
• How does the strength of the conditioned response (CR) compare to the unconditioned response (UCR)?

  The CR is weaker
• Extinction occurs in classical conditioning when the UCS is no longer paired with the NS.
• Pavlov noticed that dogs began to salivate before they saw or smelt their food
• Pavlov's dogs learned to associate the footsteps of lab assistants with food.
• What was the neutral stimulus used in Pavlov's experiment?

  A bell
• Steps in Pavlov's classical conditioning procedure

  1️⃣ The dog is given food (UCS)

  2️⃣ The dog salivates (UCR)

  3️⃣ A bell is sounded every time the food is presented (pairing of NS and UCS)

  4️⃣ After repeated pairings, the dog salivates to the bell alone
• In Pavlov's experiment, the bell became the conditioned stimulus
• Extinction in Pavlov's experiment occurred when the bell was sounded repeatedly without food.
• What is one strength of Pavlov's research in terms of methodology?

  Use of lab experiments
• Behaviorism takes a nomothetic approach to establish general laws of behavior.
• Behaviorism is criticized for being highly deterministic
• What is operant conditioning (OC)?

  Learning via consequences
• Operant conditioning is one of the core assumptions of the behaviorist approach.
• Operant conditioning emphasizes the role of reward and reinforcement in behavior.
• What role does free will play in behaviorism's understanding of human behavior?

  It negates free will
• Why do some behaviors get repeated in operant conditioning?

  Positive consequences
• Behaviors with negative consequences are less likely to be repeated.
• Positive reinforcement involves experiencing positive consequences for a behavior.
• What is negative reinforcement in operant conditioning?

  Avoiding unpleasant consequences
• Punishment can be either positive or negative.
• Match the consequence with its type of reinforcement:

  Praise from a teacher ↔️ Positive reinforcer

  Detention ↔️ Negative reinforcer
• Who developed the concept of operant conditioning?

  B.F. Skinner
• Skinner identified three types of operants: neutral operants, reinforcers, and punishers.
• Reinforcers increase the repetition of a specific behavior.
• What did Skinner use to study operant conditioning in animals?

  Skinner Box
• Steps in Skinner's experiment demonstrating positive reinforcement:

  1️⃣ A hungry rat is placed in the Skinner Box

  2️⃣ The rat accidentally triggers a lever

  3️⃣ A food pellet is released

  4️⃣ The rat learns to press the lever repeatedly