behaviourists theory

• what type of theory is the behaviourist approach

  a learning theory
• how many assumptions are there on the behaviourist approach

  2 assumptions
• what are the 2 assumptions of the behaviourist approach

  classical conditioning and operant conditioning
• what does the behaviourist approach criticize

  it criticized Wundt's method of interception for being too subjective and unscientific
• what does the behaviourist approach focus on

  focused on observable behaviour and studied animals under lab conditions
• what is the first assumption if the behaviourist approach

  classical conditioning - this is were learning occurs though association between a stimulus and a response and it deals with involuntary behaviour
• what are 7 examples of involuntary behaviour

  • salvation
  • fear
  • pleasure
  • vomiting
  • flinching
  • shivering
  • sweating
• who carried out a study for the first assumption of the behaviourist approach

  pavlov's dogs
• what did pavlov carry out

  he carried out a lab experiment to investigate salvation in dogs
• what did Pavlov find

  Before conditioning: During conditioning: After conditioning

  food - salvation food \ bell - salvation

  (UCS) (UCR) (UCS) \ (CS) (CR)

  salvation

  / (UCR)

  bell - no response bell /

  (NS) (NS)
• what does UCS stand for

  unconditioned stimulus
• what does UCR stand for

  unconditioned response
• what does NS stand for

  neutral stimulus
• what does CS stand for

  conditioned stimulus
• what does CR stand for

  conditioned responce
• what does Pavlov's study show

  this suggests that the dog has learned to associate the bell with salvation
• what is the second assumption of the behaviourist approach

  operant conditioning - this is where learning occurs due to the consequences of behaviour, whether it is reinforced or punished and deals with voluntary bahaviour
• what is operant conditioning based on

  it is based on the law of effect
• what is the law of effect

  acts that are reinforced tend to be repeated, acts that are not reinforced or punished tend to be extinguished
• what is positive reinforcement

  when you are rewarded with something pleasant when a behaviour is produced, as a result it makes you want to repeat this behaviour
• what are some examples of positive reinforcement

  • being given a treat
  • stickers for appraisal of work
  • pocket money when chores are completed
  • attendance and punctuality awards
• what is negative reinforcement

  you avoid something unpleasant when a certain behaviour is produced, this makes you want to repeat this behaviour
• what are some example of negative conditioning

  • doing homework so you don't get a detentions
  • being polite so people are not rude
  • doing chores to stop being nagged
  • fastening seat belt to stop the beeping
• what is punishment used for

  to extinguish unwanted behaviour
• what is punishment

  you recieve something unpleasant when a behaviour is produced
• what are some examples of punishment


  • being grounded for sneaking out
  • having your phone taken off you
  • getting detention for not doing homework
• who conducted a study for the 2nd assumption

  skinner's rats
• what did skinner conduct

  he conducted a lab experiment to investigate if rats could be trained to press a lever using operant conditioning
• what did skinner do

  • he tested positive reinforcement - when the rat pressed the lever, it received food and therefore learned to to repeat the behaviour for a positive reward
  • he tested negative reinforcement - when the leaver is pressed the electrocution is stopped and therefore the rat learned to repeat the behaviour to avoid an unwanted stimulus
• what is the conclusion of skinners study

  this suggests that learning occurs due to the consequences of behaviour as the rat has learned to press the lever for food (positive reinforcement) or to stop eletrocution (negative reinforcement)
• why might the results of these studies not be representative of the real world

  the research conducted this experiment on the rat and humans are much more complex then animals so this cannot be generalized to humans
• this is a strength of skinners study

  the variables are highly controlled and standardized procedures are used so cause and effect can be established
• what is a weakness of skinners study

  • the artificial setting leads to artificial behaviour and therefore this study has low ecological validity
  • done of animals
• what is token economy

  a behaviour management system in which targeted behaviour is reinforced with tokens that is later exchanged for rewards, this method is based on operant condition
• how is the behaviourist approach deterministic

  the behaviourist believe that our behaviour is caused by the way we have been conditioned, behaviour has nothing to do with our won free will or choice, it is simply the result of our experiences and learning from the environment
• what is a strength of classical conditioning

  it has been used to develop a treatment method for phobias
• what are the 2 treatment classical conditioning has been used to devlop

  • flooding
  • systematic desensitization
• what is flooding

  exposure to the most frightening stimulus immediately.
• what happens during flooding

  Anxiety will pea hugely, but will eventually reduce and the person learns to associate the fear stimulus with a relaxed state
• what is systematic desensitization

  the gradual exposure to phobic stimulus