The Behaviourist Approach

Who founded the approach?

JB Watson

When did JB Watson found the Behaviourist Approach?

1915

Behaviourist Approach?

a way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning

What did the Behaviourist Approach reject, and instead focused on?

rejected the vagueness of introspection, and instead focused on how we are a product of our learning, experience and environment

Assumptions: what is the approach primarily concerned with?

observable behaviour, as opposed to considering thinking and emotion

Assumptions: what is our mind when we are born?

a blank slate

Assumptions: What is learning in humans very similar to?

the learning that takes place in humans and animals is very similar, therefore, research can be carried out on animals as well as humans

What is the idea of humans and animals learning by the same principles based on?

both form stimulus-response associations between stimuli and our actions

Why can humans do much more complex things than animals?

use other forms of learning - e.g. the Social learning theory

Why is the theory not concerned with thoughts or emotions (the 'mind' is irrelevant)?

can't directly observe a person's thinking - theory used to obtain measurable data by studying behaviour - only concerned with observational behaviour

What is the main goal of the approach?

understanding the principles of learning

What do behaviourists only observe?

quantifiable behaviour

The two forms of learning?

Classical conditioning and operant conditioning

Classical conditioning?

learning by association

What does classical conditioning only apply to?

reflexive responses

Who studied classical conditioning through dogs salivating?

Ivan Pavlov

When did he study classical conditioning?

early 1900s

What is the unconditioned stimulus in Ivan Pavlov's experiment?

food

Before conditioning: what triggers the response?

an unconditioned stimulus (food)

Before conditioning: what is this response?

an unconditioned response (salivation)

What is an unconditioned response?

a natural reflex

Before conditioning: why is the bell rung it's own?

to show it doesn't cause a conditioned response before conditioning (doesn't cause the dog to salivate)

Before conditioning: what is the bell before conditioning?

neutral stimulus

What is a neutral stimulus?

a stimulus that initially does not evoke any specific response from an individual or organism

What happens during conditioning?

the unconditioned stimulus (food) is repeatedly presented with the neutral stimulus (ringing the bell)

During conditioning: What response do these trigger?

unconditioned response (dog salivates)

What happens after conditioning?

bell rung on its own

After conditioning: what response does this trigger?

dog salivates - conditioned response

After Conditioning: what is the neutral stimulus (ringing the bell) now?

Conditioned stimulus

After Conditioning: What is the unconditioned response (dog salivates) now?

conditioned response

Operant conditioning?

a learning process where behaviours are modified through reinforcement or punishment, influencing the likelihood of those behaviours being repeated (learning by consequence)

Who proposed and researched Operant conditioning?

B.F. Skinner

When did Skinner put forward the idea of operant conditioning?

1953

Reinforcement?

encourages behaviour

Punishment?

discourages behaviour

Positive?

adding an experience

Negative?

removing an experience

Positive reinforcement?

adding experience to encourage behaviour

Negative reinforcement?

removing an experience to encourage a behaviour

Positive punishment?

adding an experience to discourage behaviour

Negative punishment?

removing an experience to discourage a behaviour

What animal did Skinner test his theory on?

rats

When was Skinner's operant conditioning experiment?

1938

Skinner's rats (1938) - 1: where are the rats placed?

a box with a lever (skinners box)  

Skinner's rats (1938) - 1: what happens when the rats press up against the lever?

food is dispensed

Skinner's rats (1938) - 1: how do the rats initially press up against the lever?

run around cage and press it accidently

Skinner's rats (1938) - 1: what did the rats learn after being placed in the box multiple times ?

that the lever dispenses food so they would press it immediately when being put in the box

Skinner's rats (1938) - 1: what type of reinforcement does it demonstrate?

positive reinforcement

Skinner's rats (1938) - 2: what is the key feature of the box the rats are placed in?

electric grid as the floor - shocks the rat

Skinner's rats (1938) - 2: how is the lever first pressed?

rat runs around in pain and accidently presses the lever

Skinner's rats (1938) - 2: what does this lever do?

halts the electric shocks

Skinner's rats (1938) - 2: what do the rats learn after being placed in the box multiple times?

to immediately press the lever to halt the electric shocks

Skinner's rats (1938) - 2: what type of reinforcement does it demonstrate?

negative reinforcement

Strength - P: what has classical conditioning led to?

treatments for the reduction of anxiety.

Strength - Ex: how does classical conditioning explain how we can learn a phobia?

explains that we can learn a phobia when a neutral stimulus (such as a dog) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (such as the pain from being bitten)

Strength - Ev: what can be used to learn a different response to the now conditioned stimulus?

Systematic Desensitisation can be used to learn a different response to the now conditioned stimulus by pairing it with a more pleasant feeling (such as relaxation).​

Strength - L: therefore, what can classical conditioning be used to cure?

cure people of their phobias

Weakness - P: where does much of the evidence come from?

research on animals rather than humans

Weakness - Ev: for example, how did Skinner investigate Operant conditioning?

by using rats (1938)

Weakness - Ex1: why is an issue that this research was only carried out on animals and not humans?

Different species have evolved to deal with different environmental challenges, meaning they may learn in different ways

Weakness - Ex2: therefore, what can’t be done with findings from animal studies?

cannot always be generalised to human behaviour, which is often more complex

Weakness - L: therefore, what does this show the Behaviourist approach may not fully explain?

he behaviourist approach may not fully explain how humans learn and behave

Strength - P: what method does the Behaviourist approach use?

the experimental method

Strength - Ev: What were the experiments that Skinner conducted to investigate operant conditioning like?

highly controlled laboratory experiments

Strength - Ex: What did the controlled conditions allow him to control and establish?

controlled extraneous variables and allowed him to establish cause-and-effect relationships between reinforcement and behaviour

Strength - L: what does this give the supportive evidence a high level of?

internal validity - and therefore produces reliable evidence about how behaviour is learned

Weakness - P: what type of explanation does it provide for human behaviour?

a limited explanation

Weakness - Ev: what do behaviourists focus on?

focus only on observable behaviour and the role of learning through conditioning

Weakness - Ex: what does the approach therefore ignore?

other important factors, such as cognitive processes and emotions, which can influence behaviour e.g. feeling may affect how a person acts

Weakness - L: therefore, what may the Behaviourist approach do to human behaviour?

may oversimplify human behaviour because it does not take into account all the factors that influence it