Evaluation

• Strength-Scientific


  Studying behaviour that is observable and measurable
• Strength-Scientific


  • Introduced by Watson
  • Recognised Pavlov's work could be used to create objective and scientific psychology
  • Continues to be scientific
  • Concepts such as thoughts and feelings are operationalised in terms of the stimulus and response to behaviours
  • Use of this method allows us to analyse, quantify and compare behaviour
• Strength-Scientific


  Distinguishes more beliefs and forms real facts
• Beliefs vs Facts


  • People may believe that wearing a gold token will ward off evil spirits - how do we know it's true without conducting experiments
• Treatments


  Believed as there is evidence they work
• Strength-Focus on the here and now


  isnt concerned about events in a persons past.

  Doesnt focus on past experiences when treating mental illnesses,doesnt look for the cause,focuses on current symptoms and trying to remove them.

  Systematic desensitisation-treats undesirable behaviour by creating a new stimulus response between feared stimuli and relaxation.No need to find how the phobia might have developed,removal of symptoms is the main aim.

  Not always sufficient,doesnt work for all disorders.
• Strength-successful applications

  treatment of mental disorders and in education.

  For example,classical conditioning-applied in aversion therapy to help people with addictions,also applied in systematic desensitisation to help people suffer with phobias.

  Education-operant conditioning helps with successful teaching.

  Skinner-applied operant conditioning to teaching,classroom teaching is ineffective because different students learn at different rates and reinforcements are too variable to be effective.

  Skinner has the idea of a 'teaching machine'-each student can work at their own pace.
• weakness-Emphasis on nurture

  environment as means of shaping behaviour-nature is ignored

  doesnt consider how our genetic make-up could influence personality and behaviour.

  external factors are exaggerated,if learning was all that mattered then everyone could be a doctor or rocket scientist-etc

  Behaviour is also governed by many internal factors such as-motivation,emotion ans innate abilities
• weakness-Deterministic


  behaviour is influenced almost exclusively by the associations we make between certain environmental stimuli(classical)or the rewards/punishments provided by the environment(operant).People are controlled by external factors.

  does not consider the thought processes that occur before we behave in a certain way,we are not making choices when we behave,no free will.

  Humans have no personal or moral responsibility for their behaviour.

  People cant be held responsible for any wrongdoing-instead punished to change their behaviour
• Weakness-More relevant to animal than humans

  roots are with non-human animals,Skinner and Pavlov.

  Systematic desensitisation-initially developed with animals.

  Wolpe-created a phobia in cats by placing them in cages and administering repeated electric shocks.He could reduce this learned anxiety by placing food near the cage.

  Humans may not respond in the same way.Wolpe treated another woman for a fear of insects and found that SD did not cure her phobia.Her husband who was nicknamed after an insect who she hadnt been getting along with.