Behaviourist

• Behaviourist defining principles


  -All behaviour is learnt (nurture)

  -Psychology should be classed as a science, to be studied in a scientific manner, observing and measuring variables objectively

  -All people are born a blank slate (table rasa)

  -Behaviour is the result of a stimulus
• Classical conditioning- Pavlov


  Learning by association, associating a stimulus with another stimulus which later comes to trigger the same response
• Behaviourist weaknesses 


  -Lack of ecological validity because they are lab experiments so findings may not relate to real life.

  -Reductionsm as it attempts to explain behaviour down to a learnt response excluding biological and cognitive explanations

  -Raises ethical issues as behavioural techniques are powerful in altering behaviour
• Positive reinforcement- When a desired action is followed by a reward. E.g. giving your child pocket money if they get good grades at school.
• Negative reinforcement- When an undesired action is stopped or avoided by punishment. E.g. taking away TV privileges when children don't finish their homework on time.
• Skinners box - A device used to observe operant conditioning in animals. It consists of a cage containing food or water dispensers, levers and lights. The animal can press the lever to receive food/water but only when the light goes on. This teaches them to associate pressing the lever with receiving food/water.
• Behaviourist strengths


  -Helps us to apply strategies for modifying behaviour

  -The emphasis is controlled on scientific study that can be replicated which adds credibility of research

  -Falsifiability meaning proving and disproving hypotheses via experimentation
• Operant conditioning- Learning through consequences of actions. Reinforcements increase the likelihood of repeating behaviours while punishments decrease the likelihood of repeating behaviours.
• Behaviourist practical applications


  Understanding the role of observational learning in developing aggression has informed the debate about media violence