Describe ‘behav learnt’ + 1 other assump of behav app (4+4)

• Behaviour learned through conditioning

  • P: one core assumption of the behaviourist approach is that behaviour is learned through conditioning, specifically classical and operant conditioning.

  • E: in classical conditioning, Pavlov showed that dogs could learn to associate a neutral stimulus (a bell) with an unconditioned stimulus (food), eventually salivating to the bell alone. In operant conditioning, Skinner demonstrated that rats learned to press a lever to receive food, showing positive reinforcement.

  • E: these studies show how association (classical) and reinforcement or punishment (operant) shape behaviour by increasing or decreasing the likelihood of actions being repeated.

  • L: this suggests that learning is not innate, but instead shaped by experiences and environmental consequences.
• Humans and animals learn in similar ways

  • P: another key assumption is that humans and non-human animals learn in similar ways.

  • E: behaviourists like skinner and Pavlov used animals in controlled experiments to develop learning theories, which were later applied to humans - for example, using classical conditioning principles in systematic desensitisation to treat phobias.

  • E: the success of animal-based findings being applied to humans implies that the same fundamental learning processes operate across species.

  • L: this allows psychologists to study behaviour scientifically in animals and ethically generalise findings to humans in therapeutic and educational settings.