EVALUATION

• POSITIVE EVALUATION POINTS?

  • research support
  • real world application
• NEGATIVE EVALUATION POINTS?

  • animal research
  • environmental determinism
• RESEARCH SUPPORT ARGUMENT?

  • based on well-controlled research (Pavlov and Skinner)
  • focus on measuring observable behaviour
  • highly controlled lab settings
  • removed any extraneous variables
  • cause and effect established
  • has scientific credibility
• RESEARCH SUPPORT COUNTERARGUMENT?

  • Behaviourists may have oversimplified
  • ignored influence of human thoughts
  • learning is more complex than observable behaviour alone
• REAL WORLD APPLICATION ARGUMENT?

  • led to development of treatments
  • e.g. systematic desensitisation
  • able to understand phobias are formed by association/ classical conditioning
  • approach is useful
• ANIMAL RESEARCH ARGUMENT?

  • ethical issues of animal research
  • animals in Skinner's box exposed to physical and psychological harm
  • breaks ethical guidelines
  • lowers credibility of approach and reputation of psychology
• ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM ARGUMENT?

  • fails to consider free will and biology
  • limited
  • extreme position