Unit 2

• Similarities between Psychodynamic and Behaviourist Approaches

  • Both approaches are deterministic in nature (external/internal factors that determine behaviour)
  • Both acknowledge the role of experiences in shaping human behaviour
• Differences between Psychodynamic and Behaviourist Approaches

  • Psychodynamic Approach: Non-scientific/non-experimental, emphasis on childhood experiences
  • Behaviouristic Approach: Experimental/observable behaviour, emphasis on external observable factors within the environment
• Differences between Psychodynamic and Behaviourist Approaches

  • Psychodynamic Approach: Relies on unconscious mind, explained by events preceding an action, methods used are not replicable
  • Behaviouristic Approach: Relies on observable behaviour, perceive the truth as obvious, methods are replicable and scientific in nature
• Fundamental Assumptions of Behaviourist Approach

  • Assumption of tabula rasa and behaviours are learned in interaction with the environment, learning happens through conditioning (classical conditioning and operant conditioning), emphasis on scientific methods
• Fundamental Assumptions of Behaviourist Approach

  • Concerned with observable behaviour, little difference between learning in human beings and animals, behaviour is a result of the relation between stimulus and response
• Types of Behaviourism

  • Methodological Behaviourism (Watson 1913): objective and experimental branch of science, theoretical goal is the prediction and control of behavior
  • Radical Behaviourism (Skinner): agreed with the assumptions of methodological behaviourism, recognized the role of internal mental events, organisms are born with innate behaviors
• Ivan Pavlov: Fundamental Assumptions
• Ivan Pavlov


  Behaviour of the living organism is mechanical, learning is the formation of conditioned reflexes or 'acquisition of anticipatory adjustment' or habit formation, controlled learning is conditioned learning, conditioned learning is also accompanied by generalis
• Ivan Pavlov


  Fundamental Assumptions
• Behavior of the living organism

  Is mechanical
• Learning


  Is the formation of conditioned reflexes or 'acquisition of anticipatory adjustment' or habit formation
• Controlled learning

  Is conditioned learning
• Conditioned learning


  Is accompanied by generalisation of experiences
• Throndike

  Fundamental Assumptions
• Connectionism theory


  Learning is established only in stimulus-response
• Learning


  Being able to use the learned knowledge is called learning
• Purpose of learning

  It is necessary to have a purpose for learning
• Effort in learning

  The effort of the learner is necessary to achieve the objective
• Motivation in learning


  It is necessary to have some motivator behind the purpose of learning
• J B Watson

  Fundamental Assumptions
• Conditioning


  Is a process of stimulus substitution
• Conditioned responses

  May be temporary and unstable. After periods of no practice they cease to work but can be quickly reestablished
• Substituted stimulus


  The substituted stimulus can be made so specific that no other stimulus of its class will then call out the reflex
• Magnitude of response


  Dependent upon the strength of the conditioned stimulus
• Summation effect

  There is a marked summation effect
• Extinguishing responses


  Conditioned responses can be ‘extinguished
• B F Skinner

  Reinforcement Theory
• Reinforcement Theory


  The cause of human behavior is something in a person’s environment. The consequences of a behavior determine the possibility of it being repeated
• Arthur W. Staat

  Psychological Behaviorism
• Psychological Behaviorism


  A person’s psychology (personality, learning, and emotion) can be explained through observable behaviors
• Interaction of principles

  The principles of classical conditioning and operant conditions are not separate but they interact
• Reinforcement effects

  Reinforcement affects both motor response and an emotional response at the same time
• Learning complex behaviors


  Humans learn complex repertoires of behavior like language, values, and athletic skills—that is cognitive, emotional, and sensory motor repertoires
• Cumulative learning


  Human behavior is learned cumulatively
• J. E. R. Staddon

  Theoretical Behaviorism
• Learning and evolution


  Similar and occur through variation and selection
• Composition of repertoire

  Depends on the animal’s training (motivational state and species)
• Classical conditioning


  Detects correlations between environmental features and something of value, positive or negative, to the organism
• Induced repertoire


  If the correlation is very strong and the unconditioned stimulus is imminent, then the induced repertoire may be limited
• Selection in learning


  Selection, in the sense of a response contingency, may be unnecessary