Behaviourist approach

• What is the behaviourist approach?

  A way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable
• What is the behaviourist approach concerned with?

  Studying behaviour that can be observed and measured
• What is the behaviourist approach not concerned with and why?

  Investigating mental processes of the mind as they were seen as irrelevant
• Why did early behaviourists reject introspection?

  Involved vague and difficult to measure concepts
• How did behaviourists try to maintain more control and objectivity?

  Lab studies
• Behaviourists believe all behaviour is learned
• What did behaviourists describe a baby's mind as?

  A 'tabula rasa' or 'blank slate'
• Behaviourists suggested basic processes governing learning are the same in all species
• Behaviourists believed animals could replace humans in research
• What two forms of learning did behaviourists identify?

  Classical conditioning and operant conditioning
• What is classical conditioning defined as?

  Learning through association
• Who first demonstrated classical conditioning?

  Pavlov
• Pavlov showed how dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell if it was repeatedly presented at the same time they were given food
• What did Pavlov's dogs learn to do gradually?

  Associate the sound of the bell with the food
• Food - unconditioned stimulus
• Salivation - unconditioned response -> conditioned response
• Bell - neutral stimulus -> conditioned stimulus
• No salivation - no conditioned response
• Classical conditioning

  A) Food

  B) unconditioned stimulus

  C) Salivation

  D) Unconditioned response

  E) Bell

  F) Neutral stimulus

  G) no salivation

  H) no conditioned response

  I) bell

  J) food

  K) Bell

  L) conditioned stimulus

  M) conditioned response

  
• What did Skinner suggest was an active process?

  Learning
• What does it mean to say learning is an active process?

  Humans and animals operate on their environment
• What is operant conditioning defined as?

  Behaviour is shaped by its consequences
• What are the three consequences suggested by Skinner?

  Positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment
• What is reinforcement?

  A consequence of behaviour that increases the likelihood of it being repeated
• What is punishment?

  An unpleasant consequence of behaviour
• What is positive reinforcement?

  Receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed
• What is negative reinforcement?

  When an animal avoids something unpleasant with a positive outcome
• Positive and negative reinforcement increase the likelihood that behaviour will be repeated
• Punishment decreases the likelihood that behaviour will be repeated
• What were the cages called Skinner demonstrated operant conditioning with?

  Skinner's Boxes
• How did Skinner demonstrate positive reinforcement?

  Every time the rat/pigeons activated a lever, it was rewarded with food; it would then continue to perform the behaviour
• What animals did Skinner demonstrate operant conditioning with?

  Rats/pigeons
• How did Skinner demonstrate negative reinforcement?


  Every time the rat/pigeons performed a behaviour they would avoid an unpleasant behaviour