The Behaviourist Perspective

• Principles

  • All people are born Tabula Rasa (black slates) and all behaviours are learnt from the environment
  • The way people learn behaviour from the environment can happen through three main processes (the concepts)
• Concepts

  • Classic conditioning
  • Operant conditioning
  • Social learning theory
• Classic conditioning

  Learning through association

  • Pavlov's dogs is an example of classic conditioning:
  • Presented dogs with food to test their salivary response (unconditional response - happens naturally)
  • When foo was bought, a bell was rung and the dogs began associating the bell with food, meaning they started salivating at the bell
• Operant conditioning

  • Positive reinforcement
  • providing positive award so behaviour is repeated
  • Negative reinforcement
  • Removing something unpleasant to encourage behaviour
• Operant conditioning pt 2

  • Positive punishment
  • doing something unpleasant to stop behaviour
  • Negative punishment
  • Taking something away that the person likes to discourage negative behaviour
• Social learning theory

  Learning takes place through observing behaviour of role models and then imitating behaviour
• Strengths

  • Useful and can have practical applications e.g. for teachers, parents or people with addictions or phobias
  • Tends to use lab experiments which are controlled and scientific
  • Provides evidence in support of the nurture side of nature/nurture debate
• Weaknesses

  • Can be unethical when researching punishment
  • Ignores biological and genetic explanations as a cause of behaviour (too simplistic to say that behaviour is just learnt)
  • Shows behaviour as a result of learning and environment influences - no room for free will
  • Could be used in a negative way to encourage bad behaviour