learning approach

• key assumptions:

  1. we are born tabula rasa
  2. all behaviour is learned through experience with our environment
  3. psychology must study observable and measurable behavio
• classical conditioning = learning through association. the occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together, one being new and the other being familiar. the neutral stimuli begins to produce the same response
• pavlov’s dogs salivated when they heard the bell ringing because they associated the noise with the arrival of food
• operant conditioning = behaviour is shaped and maintained by consequences including positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment
• the rat in skinners box is given food when it pushes the correct button but receives a shock if it pushes the wrong one. this conditions the animal to push the right button
• positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement increase the likelihood of a response occurring whilst punishment decreases the likelihood of a response reoccurring
• Associative priming

  • using two stimuli that are normally associated with each other such as “cat” and “mouse” this allows the subject to respond more rapidly when the second word appears
• Social proof

  • people mirror the actions and behaviours of others
  • peoples decisions are often impacted by the preferences and modelling of individuals or groups around them
• Little Albert experiment (Watson & Rayner)

  • albert was presented with a white rat which he was not afraid of. when he was playing with the rat watson and rayner made a loud noise from behind him whenever he reached out to touch the rat. this scared the child. eventually he began to show fear of the rat without the loud noise. this demonstrates that a child could be conditioned to fear a neutral stimulus
• differential reinforcement

  • a method of rewarding behaviours that are considered either masculine or feminine
  • Kerig (1993): fathers are the driving force behind differential reinforcement
  • eg a father plays football with his son and buys him toy cars but their behaviour is different towards daughters as they buy her dolls and play with doll houses with her
• social learning theory & gender

  • gender is learned in a social context from our role models. models can be either ‘live’ or ‘symbolic’
  • gender appropriate behaviours is learned indirectly through the processes of observation, imitation and vicarious reinforcement through these role models
  • eg a girl learning to apply make-up through the modelling of her mother
  • the process of imitation is more likely to occur when the child identifies with the role model
  • eg gender atypical behaviours
• MODELLING

  • the process of demonstrating a particular behaviour and it being imitated. for modelling to occur these factors must be present: attention, retention, motor reproduction and motivation
• live models are the people who are present in our environment eg teachers, parents, siblings, ect. symbolic models are people who are present in the media eg celebrities
• imitation- much of what we learn as children is acquired through imitation of the behaviours and attitudes modelled by parents, this can be both positive and negative influence
• ALBERT BANDURA

  • argued that classical conditioning and operant conditioning could not account for all human learning, he proposed that learning occurs through observation and imitation of behaviour in a social context and that there was a cognitive process that occurs between stimuli and response.
• • BOBO DOLL STUDY: children observed an adult being violent with a doll and were then left alone with the doll. all of the children imitated the violent behaviour.
  • behaviours can be learned purely by observation, learning and motivation depends on self-efficacy.
• self-efficacy= "the belief in one's capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations."