Behaviourism

• The assumptions of the behaviourist approach is that humans are born a blank slate and everything we become is shaped by experiences in the real world and direct experiences, and can therefore be unlearned, and that only observable behaviour should be measured and investigated
• Nature vs Nurture: the behaviourist approach sides with nurture. Behaviour is seen as being caused by environmental influences
• Free Will vs Determinism: behaviourism believes free will is an illusion, and all behaviour is caused by environmental factors
• Scientific: the behaviourist approach uses scientific methods to investigate human behaviour
• Real world application: the behaviourist approach led to a number of real world applications. Principles have been applied to treating disorders like phobias
• Classical conditioning is a type of learning that was proposed by Ivan Pavlov, the Russian physiologist. This type of learning occurs through association, when two stimuli are paired together. These stimuli are known as an unconditioned stimulus and a new, neutral stimulus. After enough pairings, the NS eventually produces the same response that was first produced by the UCS alone
• Ivan Pavlov (1927) is credited with the discovery of classical conditioning. He was investigating the salivary reflex in dogs when he noticed that the animals not only salivated when food was placed in their mouths, but also reacted to stimuli that coincided with the presentation of food
• The type of learning known as operant conditioning was proposed by B.F. Skinner. Skinner suggested that animals spontaneously produce different behaviours, which produce consequences for the animal. These consequences could be positive or negative and will determine whether the animal will repeat a particular behaviour. Therefore, operant conditioning is learning through reinforcement
• To test operant conditioning, Skinner created a special cage to see if rats learned through consequence. The box contains a feeding tray and a lever on one side, which delivers sugar pellets to the feeding tray when pressed. The researcher can also deliver food pellets to the rats when they choose to do so. The box also had a floor that could be electrified, to provide small shocks as punishment