Behaviourist approach

• What are the 3 assumptions of the behaviourist approach?

  Humans are born like a blank slate, behaviour learned through conditioning and humans & animals learn in similar ways.
• What is classical conditioning?

  New behaviours learned through association. Pavlov (1902)-observations of salivation in dogs. Before conditioning, food is UCS & salivation is UR. During conditioning, NS (bell sound) presented alongside UCS- repeated several times (association occurs). After conditioning, bell is now CS, which produces a new CR- salivation.
• What is operant conditioning?

  New behaviours learned through reinforcement. Reinforcer= increases chance that behaviour will occur again.
• Skinner (1938) operant conditioning:

  Skinner box. Animal can learn to behave in certain ways due to being rewarded with food (positively reinforced). Animal may accidentally perform action resulting in food pellet being given (e.g, lever). Behaviour positively reinforced (rewarded) so likely to repeat behaviour again. Punishment- weakens behaviour & decreases likelihood behaviour will reoccur again.
• What is reinforcement?

  Reinforcement increases chance behaviour is repeated.
• What is positive reinforcement?

  Reward increases probability that behaviour will be repeated.
• What is negative reinforcement?

  Escape from unpleasant situation, increases probability behaviour is repeated.
• Humans are born like a blank slate:


  Behaviour learned from interactions with environment(we respond passively to environmental stimuli). Nurture over nature: social & environmental factors have greatest influence on behaviour, instead of biological & innate factors. Environmental determinism: behaviour determined by environment we grew up in. Associations made early on in life & early rewards/punishments provided by environment, pre-determine later reactions to other people & situations. E.g, dentists=pain.
• Humans & animals learn in similar ways:

  Can study animal learning in lab & make generalisations about human behaviour. Pavlov- developed principles of classical conditioning with dogs - showed how they could be conditioned to salivate at bell sound, applying principles to humans. Some principles applied to therapies to overcome phobias. E.g, token economy systems- desirable behaviour reinforced with tokens that can be exchanged for rewards. Operant conditioning applied in prisons & education. Conditioning used in systematic desensitisation.