Behaviourist approach

• Assumptions of the behaviourist approach:

  > Humans are born as a blank slate

  > All behaviour is learnt from the environment and there fore unlearnt

  > Our behaviour is all due to learning so free will is not possible
• General AO1

  > Behaviourist psychologists were only interested in behaviour that can be observed and measured

  > Watson rejected introspection claiming it was too subjective and not measurable

  > Rely on lab experiments

  > Believe animals can replace humans in research because they learn in the same way as humans
• Behaviourism AO3

  :( Environmental determinism

  > Individual controlled by external factors such as learning through stimulus, response and association

  > Neglects the role of free will and choice an individual could have

  > Leave individuals feeling out of control of their own behaviour, limiting the behaviourist explanation
• Behaviourism AO3

  :) Practical applications

  > Led to systematic desensitisation

  > Allows individuals to unlearn their maladaptive association to a phobic stimulus

  > Therefore the behaviourist approach is an important part of applied psychology
• Behaviourism AO3

  :( Environmental reductionism

  > Reduces complex human behaviour down to simple basic units (learning through stimulus, response and association)

  > Neglecting a holistic approach which would take into account an individuals social and cultural context

  > Therefore the behaviourist approach may lack validity as it doesnt allow us to understand behaviour in context