The Behaviourist Approach

• what are the key assumptions of the behaviourist approach?

  1. Psychologists should only study observable, quantifiable behaviour.
  2. All behaviour is learned.
  3. Humans are no different from animals and should not be regarded as more complex.
  4. Research on animal behaviour is directly relevant to humans.
• what is classical conditioning?

  type of learning in which an existing involuntary reflex is associated with a new stimulus.
• how did Pavlov test his theory of classical conditioning?

  • using dogs, who were conditioned to associate the sound of a bell (neutral stimulus) with food (unconditioned stimulus).
  • This resulted in the dogs producing a salivation response (conditioned response) at the sound of a bell (conditioned stimulus), even when no food was present.
• what did Pavlov demonstrate?

  • repeated exposure to an event leads to a learned and uncontrollable behaviour.
  • This process can be used to explain the acquisition of phobias and the development of attachment.
• what is operant conditioning?

  result of learning through the consequences of our actions.
• what are the three types of reinforcement?

  1. positive reinforcement – when a behaviour is followed by a desirable consequence (reward) and is more likely to be repeated
  2. negative reinforcement – when a behaviour is followed by the removal of an adverse consequence and is more likely to be repeated
  3. punishment – when a behaviour is followed by an unpleasant consequence and is less likely to be repeated.
• how did Skinner examine operant conditioning?

  • animal would move around the cage, and when it pressed the lever (by accident), it would be rewarded with a food pellet.
  • The animal would learn, through positive reinforcement, that each time it pressed the lever, it would be rewarded with food. It, therefore, learnt a new voluntary behaviour which is repeated to receive the reward again.
• strength of behaviourist approach (1)

  • significantly contributed to the still-developing recognition of psychology as a science.
  • The experimental methods used rejected the earlier emphasis in psychology on introspection and encouraged research that focused on more objective dimensions of behaviour.
  • emphasis on the scientific method has led to an increasingly valid and reliable understanding of human behaviour. These methods have also helped psychology gain credibility and status as a scientific discipline, which in turn attracts more funding and research opportunities.
• strengths of behaviourist approach (2)

  • The behaviourist approach has made important contributions to our modern understanding of human mental illness. For example, many phobias are thought to be the result of earlier unpleasant learning experiences. Consequently, this understanding has helped psychologists develop therapies, such as systematic desensitisation, that attempt to re-condition a patient’s fear response. This demonstrates that the behaviourist approach has many real-world applications in the understanding and treatment of atypical behaviour.
• strengths of behaviourist approach (3)

  • Since the behavioural approach suggests that all behaviour is learned, it falls on the nurture side of the nature-nurture debate, in which our experiences and surroundings shape our behaviour directly rather than any internal or biological factors.
  • The behaviourist approach refers to the human mind as a tabula rasa (blank slate) suggesting that at birth the mind is blank and throughout life, the slate is filled while behaviour is shaped through learning.
• limitations of behaviourist approach (1)

  • The behaviourist approach has been criticised for its limited view regarding the origins of behaviour.
  • Behaviourists ignore alternative levels of explanation including the role of cognition and emotional factors in influencing behaviour.
  • Skinner countered this argument, however, stating that for behaviour to be investigated scientifically, it had to be directly measurable and observable, which cognitions are not - experimental reductionism
• limitations of behaviourist approach (2)

  • The fact that behaviourists believe that behaviour is controlled by something as simple as a stimulus- response association, as in classical conditioning, is an example of environmental determinism. Behaviourists argue that humans have little choice in their behaviour, and our behaviour is simply the product of environmental learning.