humans and animals learn in similar ways

• behaviourists believe that the only difference between animals and humans is quantitative and regards structure, such as brain size.
• as a result, findings from animal studies can be applied to predict and make generalisations about human behaviour.
• Pavlov established the concept of classical conditioning through his work with dogs, where he trained them to salivate at the sound of a bell.
• the same principles have been applied to behaviourist therapies, to help people overcome problems such as phobias in systematic desensitation.
• for example, Lorenz found that geese follow the first moving thing they see, a process known as imprinting. This shows that the findings of this research can be applied to explain human mother-child relationships.