Behaviourist approach

• Behaviourist approach

  Only interested in studying behaviour that can be observed and measured, not mental processes
• Assumptions of behaviourist approach

  • Not concerned with investigating mental processes of the mind
  • Rejected introspection as it involved too many vague and difficult to measure concepts
  • Tried to maintain control and objectivity within research and relied on lab studies
• Behaviourists suggested the basic processes that govern learning are the same in all species
• Classical conditioning

  Learning through association
• Classical conditioning research

  • Pavlov's research on dogs salivating to the sound of a bell
• Operant conditioning

  Learning where behaviour is shaped by its consequences
• Operant conditioning principles

  • Positive reinforcement
  • Negative reinforcement
  • Punishment
• Strengths of behaviourist approach


  • Well-controlled research
  • Real-world application
• Environmental determinism

  Behaviourists see all behaviour as conditioned by past experiences, ignoring free will