Behaviourist approach

• Assumptions:

  -all behaviour is learned through the process of cc and oc- tabula Rosa.

  behaviourists only study benaviour that can be observed or measured. They liked controlled and objective tests so they prefer lab experiments.

  Basic processes that enable us to learn and the same in all species, whatever is true in humans are also true for animals. Any research on animals the findings are generalised to humans.

  -used alot of animals they called them subjects instead of pps.
• Strength is it has scientific credibility. The increased recognition of psychology as a science. Pavlov and skinner used observable, objective, empirical methods. The increasingly valid and reliable understanding of behaviour helped psychology develop credibility following on from introspection.
• Weakness is that this approach views behaviour in a mechanistic way. This limited view ignores cognition and emotions. This approach ignores the role of thinking before we behave. It assumes humans and animals are like machines and do things without any thoughts. Thought processes may affect how we respond in different situations and it’s possible that humans have an element of free will in their behaviour. Therefore, it is possible that people may take a more active approach to learning and so may apply more to animals than humans, environmental determinism. 
• Strength is that there is real life applications. There are important contributions to society. For example, token economy in prisons and with patients with sz, and systematic desensitisation with phobias. This approach has beneficial real world applications to improve quality of life. 
• Weakness is that the approach has over simplified the learning process. By reducing behaviour to such simple components, behaviourists may have ignored an important influence on learning - human thought. Other approaches e y social learning theory and cognitive approach have drawn attention to the mental processes involved in learning. This suggests that learning is more complex then observable behaviour alone, and that private mental processes are also essential
• Classical conditioning - Pavlov: learning through association

  Before: food (unconditioned stimulus), dog salivate (unconditioned response), bell (neutral stimulus) dog not salivating (no response)

  During: food + bell 

  After: bell (conditioned stimulus) dog salivating (conditioned response)
• Operant conditioning- Skinner: active process where humans and animals behaviour is shaped by consequences.

  Skinner created the Skinner box. The rat moved around the cage and pressed the lever by accident, and a food pallet was delivered. It soon learned that pressing the level would leave to a reward. It learnt to repeat the behaviour again. If the lever led to an electric shock it stopped pressing the behaviour. If the electric grid could be stopped by pressing the lever (negative reinforcement) the rat would press it. 
• Positive reinforcement: this is a reward when certain behaviour is performed. Increases the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated.
• Negative reinforcement: this occurs when an animal/human avoids something unpleasant. Increases the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated as it avoids an unpleasant consequence.
• Punishment: an unpleasant consequence of the behaviour. The likelihood of a behaviour being repeated because it’s an unpleasant consequence.