Behaviorist Approach

What is the behaviourist approach?

An approach that explains behaviour through learning from the environment via classical and operant conditioning.

What does tabula rasa mean?

A 'blank slate'. Locke argued that humans are born without innate personality characteristics and learn through experience.

What are the five key assumptions of behaviourism?

. Humans are a blank slate. 2. Learning occurs through classical and operant conditioning. 3. Only observable behaviour should be studied. 4. Psychology should use scientific methods. 5. Animal findings can be applied to humans.

What is the nature–nurture position of behaviourism?

It emphasises nurture: behaviour is learned from the environment rather than explained by innate characteristics.

Why do behaviourists study animals?

They assume animals and humans share the same basic learning principles, so animal findings can be extrapolated to humans.

What is classical conditioning?

Learning through association between two stimuli.

Who investigated classical conditioning, and when?

Ivan Pavlov (1897).

What was Pavlov's aim?

To investigate how dogs could be conditioned using classical conditioning.

What was Pavlov's procedure?

He repeatedly rang a bell before presenting food to dogs, then observed their response to the bell alone.

What was the result of Pavlov's study?

The dogs began salivating to the bell alone, even when no food was presented.

What was the conclusion of Pavlov's study?

A neutral stimulus can become a conditioned stimulus through repeated association with an unconditioned stimulus, producing a conditioned response.

In Pavlov's study, identify the four key terms

Neutral stimulus: bell before conditioning. Unconditioned stimulus: food. Conditioned stimulus: bell after conditioning. Conditioned response: salivation to the bell.

How does classical conditioning explain phobias?

A previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with fear, so it triggers a fear response.

What is operant conditioning?

Learning through the consequences of behaviour.

Who investigated operant conditioning, and when?

B. F. Skinner (1948).

What was Skinner's aim?

To investigate how animals respond to operant conditioning.

What was the Skinner box experiment?

Rats or other animals could press a lever to receive food. Lights and a buzzer were also used to signal when to act or avoid an unpleasant consequence.

What did Skinner find?

Animals learned when to press or avoid the lever according to the consequences of their behaviour.

What is positive reinforcement?

Adding a desirable consequence after a behaviour to increase the likelihood of it being repeated. Example: a rat receives food for pressing a lever.

What is negative reinforcement?

Preventing or avoiding an unpleasant consequence to increase the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated. Example: pressing a lever to prevent an electric shock.

What is punishment?

An unpleasant consequence that reduces the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated. Example: a rat avoids pressing a lever after receiving a shock.

What is the difference between negative reinforcement and punishment?

Negative reinforcement increases behaviour by avoiding something unpleasant; punishment decreases behaviour through an unpleasant consequence.

What did Skinner conclude?

The consequences of behaviour determine which behaviours are repeated.

What was the aim of the Little Albert study?

To investigate whether a phobia could be created in an infant using classical conditioning.

What was the procedure in the Little Albert study?

Albert initially showed curiosity towards a white rat. Researchers paired the rat with a frightening sound made by striking metal.

What were the results of the Little Albert study?

After seven pairings, Albert cried and crawled away when the white rat appeared.

Identify the stimuli and response in Little Albert.

Neutral stimulus: white rat before conditioning. Unconditioned stimulus: frightening metal sound. Conditioned stimulus: white rat after conditioning. Conditioned response: fear.

What did Watson and Rayner conclude?

Classical conditioning can explain the formation of phobias in humans.

What happened to the planned removal of Albert's phobia?

The phobia was not extinguished as intended because his mother withdrew him from the study.

What ethical issue affected Little Albert?

His mother had not been given fully informed consent beforehand, and the induced fear was not reversed.

AO3: Why might animal research be a weakness of behaviourism?

Animals may not learn in exactly the same way as humans because humans have more complex brains and language. Little Albert provides evidence of conditioning in a human, but it was only one individual, limiting generalisability.

AO3: How does Tienari challenge behaviourism?

Tienari found a higher incidence of schizophrenia among adopted children of schizophrenic mothers than the population baseline of 1%. This suggests genetic factors can contribute to behaviour, challenging the blank-slate assumption.

AO3: What is a practical strength of behaviourism?

It has led to phobia treatments such as systematic desensitisation and flooding, which use principles of conditioning to reduce fear. This can improve quality of life.

AO3: Why is behaviourism considered scientific?

It studies observable behaviour using controlled, replicable experiments. Researchers can isolate variables, improve reliability and make predictions.

AO3: How has behaviourism been applied to education?

Its emphasis on learning and reinforcement can be applied to encourage desired behaviours in educational settings.

AO3: Why is behaviourism criticised for ignoring nature?

It emphasises environmental learning and underestimates innate or genetic influences on behaviour.

AO3: Why is behaviourism reductionist?

It explains complex human behaviour through stimulus–response associations and reinforcement, neglecting thoughts, emotions and wider social factors.

AO3: How does the cognitive approach criticise behaviourism?

The cognitive approach considers internal mental processes, such as thinking, which behaviourism largely ignores.

AO3: What ethical concerns apply to behaviourism?

Animal experiments can raise concerns about animal welfare. Behavioural treatments such as token economies may also raise questions about controlling people's behaviour.