behaviourist

• Classical conditioning process


  Food (UCS) → salivation (UCR)

  Bell (NS) + food (UCS) → salivation (UCR)

  Bell (CS) → salivation (CR)
• Fear of white things


  1. Originally, Albert showed no fear of the white rat (CS) and played quite happily with it

  2. After several pairing of the loud noise (UCS) and the white rat (CS), he displayed fear (UCR) in response to just the white rat

  3. Little Albert had learnt to fear and avoid white rats without the loud noise being present

  4. He had been conditioned to associate white rats with fear

  5. Little Albert generalised this fear to other white fluffy things including Dr Watson wearing a white beard
• Principles of behaviourism- Watson's Behaviourist manifesto


  • Behaviour is a response to environmental stimulus
  • Behaviourism is only concerned with observable stimulus-response behaviours
  • This can be studied in a systematic, objective way
• Evaluation of conditioning


  • Strengths: Scientific approach - objective, Practical applications e.g. therapies
  • Limitations: Mechanistic view of human behaviour – ignores cognition and free will, Environmental determinism, Ethics of animal experiments, Ethics of some therapeutic approaches to changing behaviour, Ignores biology (nature/nurture)
• - Mechanistic view of human behaviour :

  • ignores cognition and free will
  • Environmental determinism
  • reductionist
• Scientific Rigour


  Attempt to objectively and systematically collect reliable data
• + Empirical research + scientific rigour

  • highly scientific research methods, particularly the laboratory experiment
  • Strictly controlled conditions reduce and control for the effects of cv + ev = increased reliability + internal validity
  • Focusing on observable operationalized variables, increasing the scientific credibility of psychology
• + Real-Life Applications 


  development of treatments and therapies:

  • token economies for inmates: socially- desirable behaviour receive tokens (secondary reinforcers) which can be traded for privileges (primary reinforcers)
  • Education: motivation for improvement and contributions in class
  • Exposure therapies for phobias
  • Averse conditioning: addictions discouraged due to unpleasant association
• - Real-life applications and marketing


  manipulate consumers for compulsive engagement:

  gambling

  social media

  videogames
• Skinner disagreed with the subjective nature of introspection, in which the findings differed greatly from individual to individual, making it difficult to establish general laws and unifying principles of behaviour and cognition
• Behaviourism


  An approach to explaining behaviour which suggests that all behaviour is acquired and maintained through classical and operant conditioning
• From a behaviourist perspective, the basic laws governing learning are the same across both non-humans and humans. Therefore, non-human animals can replace humans in behaviourist experimental research
• Classical conditioning


  A type of learning which occurs through associations made between the unconditioned stimulus and the neutral stimulus
• Classical conditioning


  1. Before conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) produces the unconditioned response (UCR)

  2. During conditioning, the neutral stimulus (NS) is repeatedly paired with the UCS, producing an UCR

  3. After conditioning, the neutral stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus, producing the conditioned response

  
• Pavlov's classical conditioning experiment

  • Unconditioned stimulus = food
  • Unconditioned response = salivation
  • Neutral stimulus = bell
  • Conditioned stimulus = bell
  • Conditioned response = salivation

  
• Generalisation


  When slight changes in the conditioned stimulus still produces the same conditioned response
• Operant conditioning


  A type of learning where behaviour is acquired and maintained based on its consequences
• Reinforcement


  Increases the likelihood of the observed behaviour being repeated
• Punishment


  An unpleasant consequence of behaviour that decreases the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated
• Positive reinforcement


  Carrying out a behaviour to receive a reward
• Negative reinforcement


  Carrying out a behaviour to avoid negative consequences
• Skinner's Box experiment


  • Positive reinforcement = Rat pressing lever to receive food reward
  • Negative reinforcement = Rat pressing lever to avoid electric shock