the behaviourist approach

• behaviourist approach


  a way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable in terms of learning
• classical conditioning 


  learning by association
• operant conditioning


  learning theough consequences
• positive reinforcement 


  when you receive a reward when a desired behaviour is performed
• negative reinforcement


  changing behaviour to avoid a negative outcome
• punishment


  an unpleasant consequence of behaviour
• pavlovs dogs


  studied whether dogs could be trained to salivate at the sound of a bell via classical conditioning
• skinners rats


  studies if rats would know to press the lever in order to receive a food pelet via operant conditioning
• positives of the behaviourist approach


  based on well controlled research
• negatives of the behaviourist approach

  sees all behaviour as conditioned by past conditioning experiences

  questions over how the animals were treated
• unconditioned stimulus


  something which naturally causes a response
• unconditioned response


  a natural reaction to a stimulus
• neutral stimulus


  a stimulus that does not initially cause the target response
• conditioned stimulus


  when the neutral stimulus causes the same response as the ucs on its own because they have become paired