the behaviourist approach

• what is the behaviourist approach?

  Studying/measuring observable behaviours and its relationship to stimuli and responses. Early behaviourists such as Watson rejected introspection as it involved too many concepts that were vague and challenging to measure. Behaviourists tried to maintain control and objectivity within their research and relied on lab experiments as the best way to achieve this.
• behaviourist approach: what did behaviourists suggest?

  basic processes that govern learning are the same in all species. This meant that in behaviourist research, animals could replace humans as experimental subjects.
• behaviourist approach: Pavlov

  Classical conditioning is learning through association and was first demonstrated by Pavlov. He revealed that dogs could be conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell if that sound was repeatedly presented at the same time as they were given food. Pavlov's dogs learnt to associate the sound of the bell (NS) with the food (US) and would produce the salivation response every time they heard the sound. Thus, Pavlov was able to show how a neutral stimulus can be conditioned to elicit a new conditioned response through association.
• behaviourist approach: Skinner

  Skinner suggested that learning is an active process whereby humans and animals interact with their environment. We learn or stop behaviours via reinforcers and punishments, demonstrating the principles of behaviour shaping. He used a Skinner box, a device to objectively record an animals behaviour in a compressed time frame. An animal can be rewarded or punished for engaging in certain behaviours, such as lever pressing for rats, or key pecking for pigeons.
• behaviourist approach: what is reinforcement?

  Responses from the environment that increase the probability of the behaviour being repeated.
• behaviourist approach: what is positive reinforcement?

  the process of encouraging or establishing a pattern of behaviour, by offering rewards when the behaviour is exhibited.
• behaviourist approach: what is negative reinforcement?

  something uncomfortable or otherwise unpleasant being removed in response to a stimulus.
• behaviourist approach: what is punishment?

  a consequence that follows an operant response that decreases (or attempts to) the likelihood of that response occurring in the future.
• behaviourist approach: Skinner (Thorndike)

  Skinner's work was based on Thorndike's law of effect. According to this principle, behaviour that is followed by pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated, and behaviour followed by unpleasant consequences is less likely to be repeated. Skinner introduced a new term to this- reinforcement. Behaviour that is reinforced tends to be repeated (strengthened) and behaviour that is not tends to be extinguished (weakened).
• evaluation (AO3) the behaviourist approach: what are the 3 evaluation points?

  1. Scientific methodology
  2. Little Albert and Pavlov's dogs
  3. Reductionist
• evaluation (AO3) the behaviourist approach: Scientific methodology

  The behaviourist approach uses objective scientific methods which include systematic manipulation of variables, a focus on observable behaviour, tight control over extraneous variables, which yields empirical and quantitative behaviour and demonstrates cause and effect. However, it could be argued that this approach is too simplistic, particularly when investigating human behaviour. It does not take into account individual differences, past experience, and biological influences, therefore limiting the behaviourist approach as comprehensive to examining human and animal behaviour.
• evaluation (AO3) behaviourist approach: Little Albert and Pavlov's dogs

  Research supports the view that animals and humans can learn by Classical/Operant conditioning. Watson's study of Little Albert demonstrated that a phobia can be learnt through Classical conditioning of a white rabbit and a loud bang. Similarly, Skinner demonstrated that rats can learn mazes faster when reinforcement principles of Operant conditioning are applied. This has led to many successful treatments such as systematic desensitisation, using classical conditioning for phobias and behaviour modification therapy/ token economies, highlighting the success of the Behaviourist Approach.
• evaluation (AO3) behaviourist approach: Reductionist.

  The Behaviourist Approach does oversimplify all behaviour in terms of Stimulus Response links, therefore it is reductionist - taking a complex phenomenon such as human behaviour and determining that you can change all behaviours using association or reinforcement. Likewise, it is also environmentally deterministic, ignoring the notion of free will. Whilst the Behaviourist Approach does account for some behaviours, taking an interactionist approach when studying human and animal behaviour may be more comprehensive and account for individual differences.
• what are the assumptions of the behaviourist approach?

  1. Observable variables must be focused on to make Psychology more scientific by gaining empirical evidence.
  2. All behaviour is learnt through association and consequence.
  3. All species learn in the same way.
• AO1 summary for behaviourist approach 16 marker

  The behaviourist approach is based on the idea that all behaviour is learned from the environment and focuses on observable behaviour that can be measured objectively. Behaviourists such as Watson rejected introspection for being too subjective and unscientific. They believed the processes of learning are the same in all species. The two main learning mechanisms in this approach is classical and operant conditioning, Classical conditioning involves learning through association and was first demonstrated by Pavlov. He conditioned dogs to associate a neutral stimulus with food, resulting in a conditioned response to the bell alone. Operant conditioning, proposed by Skinner, involves learning through consequences. Using his Skinner box, Skinner showed that behaviours can be increased through reinforcement or decreased through punishment, demonstrating the principles of behaviour shaping.