behaviourist approach

• • behaviourists argue that behaviour is learned through experiences and interactions with the environment
• stimulus-response mechanisms: behaviourists argue it is only possible to scientifically investigate what can be directly observed and measured.

  this includes what you do to a creature (stimulus) and the resulting behaviour (response)
• • rejection of internal mental processes: as the mind cannot be directly observed, behaviourists argue it is a ‘black box’, not suitable for scientific study
• • environmental determinism: behaviourists argue behaviour is the result of experience; they believe that behaviour can be predicted and controlled by manipulating the environment
• • classical conditioning: argues an unconditioned response (e.g salivating to food) can be triggered by a neutral stimulus (e.g sound of footsteps) through repeated pairing.
  • eventually the neutral stimulus alone produces the conditioned response (e.g salivating to the metronomes sound)
• pavlov's research used two types of stimuli

  neutral stimulus (e.g metronome) that initially did not produce a significant response and unconditioned stimuli (e.g food) that naturally triggered a reflexive response (salivation) in dogs 
• procedure of pavlov's research:

  pavlov paired the neutral stimulus with the unconditioned stimulus over several trials

  the neutral stimulus presented just before the unconditioned stimulus

  pavlov then recorded the dogs’ salivary responses
• • findings of pavlov’s research the dogs began to salivate not only in response to the food (unconditioned stimulus) but also in response to the neutral stimulus (the metronome) even when food was not presented.this indicated that the dogs had learned to associate the neutral stimulus with the food.
• operant conditioning:when a creature performs voluntary responses, it learns from the consequences of those actions.consequences that are rewarding reinforce a behaviour, so they are performed more frequently and actions that result in consequences that are punishing are performed less.
• procedure of skinner’s research

  animals were placed in the skinner box without prior training.

  skinner then observed how animals learned to operate levers to recieve a reward (food) or avoid punishment
• findings of skinner’s research:

  skinner demonstrated that behaviour is influenced by the consequences that follow.

  behaviours followed by rewarding consequences are more likely to be repeated (reinforced).

  while those followed by undesirable consequences are less likely to recur.
• • positive reinforcement: adding a pleasant stimulus to encourage a desired behaviour
• negative reinforcement: removing an unpleasant stimulus to encourage the behaviour

  skinner modified his skinner boxes to give an uncomfortable electric shock through cage wires. when an animal pushed a lever, the shock stopped.
• punishment discourages behaviour. it can be positive, adding an unpleasant stimulus following an undesired behaviour, or negative which involves removing a pleasant stimulus 
• extinction: if the reinforcing consequences stop, then the person or animal will stop performing the behaviour
• behaviour shaping: it is possible to train animals to perform complex behaviours through operant conditioning. first, simple behaviours are rewarded, then behaviours that are closer to the desired behaviour are rewarded.