behaviourist

• Behaviourist approach

  • Focus on observable behaviour only
  • Controlled lab studies
  • Use of non-human animals
• Classical conditioning

  Neutral stimulus (NS) + unconditioned stimulus (UCS) → conditioned stimulus (CS) elicits conditioned response (CR)
• Classical conditioning

  Learning by association
• Pavlov's research

  • Conditioning dogs to salivate when a bell rings
• Behaviourists suggest the processes that govern learning are the same in all species, so animals (e.g. rats, cats, dogs and pigeons) can replace humans as experimental subjects
• Behaviourists tried to maintain more control and objectivity within their research and relied on lab studies to achieve this
• Behaviourists rejected introspection as its concepts were vague and difficult to measure
• The behaviourist approach is only concerned with studying behaviour that can be observed and measured, and is not concerned with mental processes of the mind
• Operant conditioning

  Learning as an active process whereby humans and animals operate on their environment. Behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences.
• Skinner's research

  • Rats and pigeons in specially designed cages (Skinner boxes)
  • When a rat activated a lever (or a pigeon pecked a disc) it was rewarded with a food pellet
  • A desirable consequence led to behaviour being repeated
  • If pressing a lever meant an animal avoided an electric shock, the behaviour would also be repeated
• Three types of consequences of behaviour

  • Positive reinforcement - receiving a reward when behaviour is performed
  • Negative reinforcement - avoiding something unpleasant when a behaviour is performed
  • Punishment - an unpleasant consequence of behaviour
• Positive reinforcement

  Receiving a reward when behaviour is performed
• Negative reinforcement

  Avoiding something unpleasant when a behaviour is performed
• Punishment

  An unpleasant consequence of behaviour
• Positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement

  Increase the likelihood that behaviour will be repeated
• Punishment

  Decreases the likelihood that behaviour will be repeated
• Evaluation of the behaviourist approach

  One strength is its real world application. The principles of conditioning have been applied to a wide range of real world behaviours and problems. Token economy systems reward appropriate behaviour with tokens that are exchanged for privileges. It has been successfully used in prisons and psychiatric institutions. This increases the value of the behaviourist approach due to its wide spread application.
• Evaluation of the behaviouist approach

  One limitation is that there were ethical issues. Procedures like the skinner box allowed behaviourists to maintain a high degree of control over their experimental 'subjects'. However, the animals were housed in cramped, harsh conditions and deliberately kept below their natural weight so they were always hungry. Therefore, there is a question of benefits versus costs as some would argue that there have been enormous benefits which may offset the harm the animals experienced.
• Evaluation of the behaviourist approach

  One strength is it uses well controlled research. The approach has focused on careful measurement of observable behaviour within controlled lab settings. Behaviourists broke down behaviour into stimulus and response units and studied casual relationships. This suggests that bahaviourist experiments have scientific credibility. However, this approach may oversimplify learning and ignore important influences on behaviour. Other approaches like the cognitive approach incorporate mental processes which suggests learning is more complex