Behaviourist

• Assumptions

  • everybody born from a blank slate
  • not interested in mental processes - only things that can be observed and measured
  • control and objectivity (lab studies)
• Two forms of learning

  1. classical conditioning - learning through association
  2. operant condition
• Classical conditioning

  unconditioned stimulus --- unconditioned response
• Pavlov's dog

  food - unconditioned stimulus

  salivate - unconditioned response

  bell - neutral stimulus
• Little Albert - watson & rayner

  • conditioned a baby to be scared of a rat
  • albert associated a loud noise with a rat
• BF Skinner

  • operant conditioning is 'learning through consequences'
• Strengths of behaviourist approach

  + well controlled research

  + lab setting

  + broke down behaviour

  + high status
• Limitations of behaviourist approach

  - oversimplified learning process

  - reduced behaviour to simple components
• Real life applications

  • operant conditioning (token economy system)
  • understand mental illnesses better (therapies)
• Animal studies limitations

  • unethical - many get euthanised at the end
  • gives experiments more control over the process