Psychology - The Behaviourist Approach

Assumptions

• Humans born as a blank slate, behaviour is shaped by environment, not innate

• All behaviour learnt through classical or operant conditioning

• Valid to study animal behaviour and apply to humans as they share the same principles of learning 

Classical conditioning - Pavlov’s research

• Pavlov noticed dogs also salivated when stimuli associated with food was presented, identifying that the dogs had formed an association between the two stimuli 

• Before conditioning: food is a (UCS) which causes salivation (UCR)

• During conditioning: A bell ringing (NS) paired with food (UCS) and over time the dogs form an association between bell ringing and food arriving 

• After conditioning: Bell becomes CS and salivation becomes CR

• After further investigation, noticed if bell (CS) alone rung many times but food (UCS) not presented then CS loses ability to produce CR

Operant conditioning key terms

• Positive reinforcement: receiving reward when a particular behaviour is performed

• Negative reinforcement: behaviour is performed to avoid something unpleasant

• Punishment: unpleasant consequence of behaviour

• Positive and negative reinforcement increases likelihood that desirable behaviour will be repeated

• Punishment decreases the likelihood that undesirable behaviour will be repeated

Difference between classical and operant conditioning

• Classical focuses on involuntary behaviour, learning via association 

• Operant conditioning focuses on voluntary behaviour, learning via rewards/punishments

Skinner’s research on operant conditioning 

• Rats in cage with a lever which would dispense food when pressed 

• Rat soon learned that pressing lever would result in food appearance 

• Delivery of food provided +ve reinforcement so increased likelihood of reoccurring behaviour (pressing lever)

• Loud noises would play which could be switched off by pressing lever (-ve reinforcement) 

• Lead to increased lever pressing 

• Electric shock would be delievered when lever pressed (punishment) 

• Lead to decreased lever pressing 

• Continuous reinforcement: Every response rewarded, effective in establishing initial response

• Partial/varibale: response rewarded at intervals, e.g. every 10th time which was most effective in maintaining a response

Evaluation of the behaviourist approach

• Strength: Scientific and highly controlled, e.g. Skinner’s box allowed him to manipulate the consequence of behaviour (IV) to study effect on rat behaviour (DV) so he could establish a clear, casual relationship between the variables 

• Strength: has real-life application, token economy systems are based on operant conditioning principles, used in hospitals and prisons 

• Limitation: Approach suggests all behaviour determined by environment, therefore states there is no free will, however some criminals reoffend continuously, which does not support reward/punishment principle

• Limitation: does not take into account mental processes involved in learning, behaviourists see humans as passive and machine like responders to environment