Behaviourist approach

• Overall assumptions:

  1. focus on behaviour that can be observed + measured to make it an objective + scientific approach
  2. all behaviour is learned through our experiences from our environment - born as blank slates
  3. can study animal behaviour + use the same principles for humans
• Classical conditioning:

  • learnt through association
  • Pavlov - dog study
  • Aim: see if dogs could be conditioned to salivate to sound of the bell without presence of food
  • Method: ringing bell while presenting food -repeat several times + measured salivation in ml
  • Results: associate bell with food - learnt response without food being present
• Pavlov's contribution to understanding human behaviour:

  • demonstrated the importance of learning by association - could be investigated experimentally + using non-human participants
  • provided theories of learning
  • provided therapies for treatment of disorders such as phobias and addictions

  A03:

  • difficulties generalising
  • scientific
  • therapy
  • reductionist
• Operant conditioning:

  • Learn through reinforcement
  • Negative reinforcement - repeating behaviour to avoid something bad happening
  • Positive reinforcement - repeating behaviour to receive a reward
• Operant conditioning: Skinner

  • 'Skinner box'
  • if rat pushed level received food pellet = reward - positive reinforcement
  • other experiments: if rat pushed level it stopped the electric current - negative reinforcement
  • rat learnt very quickly to push the lever + repeat the behaviour
• Possible differences between OC + CC:

  1. response is involuntary in classical but voluntary in operant
  2. responses are reinforced in operant conditioning but not in classical which is through association
  3. classical explains acquisition (where it comes from) of response whereas operant explains maintenance (why you keep doing it) of response
• Behaviourist approach A03: STRENGTH

  I: practical application

  E: helped us in the real world e.g. used in schools - get given commendations for doing good work + behaviour + also used in psychiatric wards + prisons

  C: shows behaviour can be reinforced in real life to help the real world behaviour as patients can start to live a fulfilling life or achieve better grades
• Behaviourist approach A03: STRENGTH

  I: scientific

  E: conducted in a lab in a controlled environment, for example, Pavlov measured salivation in ml which makes the results objective + focuses on objective behaviour

  C: uses empirical methods which means results are more likely to be accurate at identifying cause + effect relationships between conditioning + behaviour
• Behaviourist approach A03: STRENGTH

  I: led to therapies to treat phobias

  E: classical conditioning has led to therapy such as systematic desensitisation to treat phobias. Works by unlearning the phobia + associating the phobia with relaxation

  C: work on classical conditioning from Pavlov has meant that people who suffer from phobias can live a better life
• Behaviourist approach A03: WEAKNESS

  I: problems trying to generalise findings from animals to humans

  E: both conditionings use animals in their research when humans are much more complex for example, complex language + introspection. Their behaviour will not be the same as humans might work out they are being conditioned unlike the rats/dogs.

  C: humans will not necessary replicate animal behaviour + we cannot generalise the findings from conditioning to people