Behaviourist approach

• Classifying something as scientific

  • Objective
  • Replicable
  • Can repeat the study?
• Behaviourist approach

  • Main assumptions
  • We are born as 'blank states' (Latin: tabula rasa)
• Behaviourist theory

  1. All behaviour is learned

  2. Changes in behaviour are a consequence of environmental factors

  3. Applies to non-human animals too

  4. Learned behaviour can be explained by learning processes (classical conditioning & operant conditioning)

  5. Behaviour can be investigated scientifically
• Classical conditioning

  • Behaviour is learned via association
  • Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) already causes a response
  • Neutral stimulus (NS) does not cause the response
  • After repeated pairing, the NS becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) and elicits the same response
• Operant conditioning

  • Behaviour is explained by associating a consequence with an action
  • Positive punishment: Administering something bad
  • Negative punishment: Taking away something good
  • Positive reinforcement: Giving something positive
  • Negative reinforcement: Taking away/avoiding something negative
• Skinner box experiment

  1. Rat/pigeon put in box

  2. Lever/hopper on one wall

  3. Delivering food pellet when lever pressed

  4. Measuring frequency of lever pressing to indicate strength of conditioning
• Well controlled research

  studying observable behavior in controlled settings, establishing cause-and-effect relationships with scientific credibility, as shown by Skinner's work on reinforcement and animal behavior.
• Counterpoint

  Behaviorists may have oversimplified learning by ignoring mental processes. social learning and cognitive approaches, emphasize that learning involves both behavior and thought.
• Real world application

  Operant conditioning underlies token economy systems in prisons and psychiatric wards, rewarding appropriate behavior with tokens for privileges. This enhances the value of the behaviorist approach.
• Ethical issues

  Skinner's experiments had ethical issues, such as keeping animals in harsh conditions and hungry to motivate lever pressing. These concerns may outweigh the research benefits.