Behaviourist

• assumption: humans and animals learn in similar ways

  We can study animal learning in a lab and make generalisations to human behaviour

  Pavlovs dog application for phobias

  Skinner research helps shape human behaviour with a token economy

  The only difference in humans and animals are the quantitive
• relationships and classical conditioning

  we like people associated with pleasant events - more inclined to like someone we meet when feeling happy. A previously neutral stimulus becomes positively valued because of association.
• relationships and operant conditioning

  New relationships are positively reinforcing the attention is rewarding, et cetera

  Negative reinforcement to avoid loneliness and rejection we may feel punished not in a relationship for example exclusion from social events so therefore to form relationships
• Operant conditioning


  Behaviour learnt through positive and negative reinforcement and punishment . If we are rewarded for a behaviour we are more likely to repeat it ( positive reinforcement) Negative reinforcement strengthens behaviour by escaping something unpleasant

  Punishment weakens behaviour
• classical conditioning 


  Learnt through association

  Pavlovs dog- neutral stimulus becomes conditioned stimulus unconditioned response becomes conditioned response
• assumption: tabula rasa or blank slate

  no inbuilt mental content, all behaviour is learned

  we don’t think about behaviour but passively respond to environment

  Environmental determinism
• Weakness: more relevant to animals than humans

  • pavlov and skinner research on non human animals
  • humans may not respond in the same way
  • poses ethical issues
• weakness: determinist

  underestimates freedom of choice and removes responsibility

  behaviour due to association between environment, stimulus and reward

  doesn’t consider thought process or free will
• weakness: nurture

  • ignores significant factors in behaviour’s development-> genetics or internal factors (motivation, emotion, innate abilities)
  • if everything is learned everyone could be a surgeon or athlete which is unrealistic as other factors shape this
• strength: focus on here and now

  • treatment doesn’t have to look for complicated causes just current symptoms
  • aversion therapy teaches new stimulus- links alcohol to nausea however doesn’t understand why person turned to alcohol
• strength : application

  • evidence that principles are correct
  • skinner applied operant conditioning to teaching - students learn at different rate so created teaching machine( students work at own pace and are reinforced and given immediate feedback
• strength: scientific

  objective- studies observable and objective behaviour

  thoughts and feelings operationalised in terms of stimulus and respinse

  quantifiable analysis and comparison separates beliefs from facts

  people will believe principles as they’ve been investigated
• behaviourist explanation for crime

  • social learning theory.
  • reward: gang promotion, not caught, money
  • avoidance: avoid feeling left out
• behaviourist explanation for aggression

  • social learning theory. aggressive role models leads to vicarious reinforcement
  • classical conditioning: associate violence with a context
  • operant: rewarded for aggression- praise and status
• behaviourist explanation for addiction

  • initiated through classical conditioning
  • maintained through operant conditioning
  • social learning theRoy and role models
• behaviourist explanation of phobias

  • formed by classical conditioning (associate dog bite with fear and pain)
  • maintained by operant conditioning
  • avoidance leaves belief unchallenged
• Operant conditioning at home (FOR)

  -Pos reinforcement used to increase desirable behaviours

  -Paying children to complete chores results in them performing 20% of all chores

  -Super nanny: pos reinforcement through reward charts and punished with naughty step. By remaining calm and consistent child will learn consequences of behaviour, stopping it.
• operant conditioning at school (FOR)

  Gold stars and merit points = effective

  Increased teacher praise leads to decreased inappropriate talking in secondary schools
• Classical conditioning at school (FOR)

  Can be used to improve performance. Maximising pleasant stimuli and minimising unpleasant stimuli conditions children to associate classroom environment with pos feelings
• Operaant conditioning at home (AGAINST)

  -naughty step has long term emotional effect as they cannot reflect on their own behaviour

  -remaining calm and consistent difficult- parents don’t stick to it, reducing effectiveness
• Operant conditioning at school( AGAINST)

  -Montessori schools would reject conditioning as harmful to development

  when promised rewards, children spend less time on task, motivated by reward not intrinsic motivation to succeed.
• Social learning theory (AGAINST)


  -Children easily influenced, imitating others behaviour, pos reinforcement may not always produce desirable behaviour.

  -Undesirable behaviours learnt through imitation. Children more likely to imitate aggressive behaviour if there is motivation to do so
• For vulnerable children ( AGAINST)


  Lovaas methods criticised as inappropriate as ABA is demanding needing 40hrs therapy weekly.- costly and unnecessary

  Only treats symptoms so undesirable behaviours will likely reemerge after therapy
• Social Implications

  • conditioning vulnerable children to behave a ‘normal’way increases likelihood of acceptance but should they be manipulated?
  • Corporal punishments (smacking) have legal implications- may become illegal
• Ethical implications

  • Ethical issues of protection from harm- naughty step causes psychological harm and corporal punishment causes physical harm
• Economic implications


  -If financial rewards increase grades this could benefit society as children leave school w better grades and contribute to economy.-Generation motivated by money is unhealthy

  -Generation motivated by money is unhealthy