The Behaviourist Approach

Outline the Behaviourist Approach

The influence of experience on our behaviour and how we learn behaviours

• we are born as a 'tabula rasa' and learn through either classical conditioning or operant conditioning

Who carried out the salivating Dogs experiment

• what did it experiment

Ivan Pavlov

• classical conditioning

Who carried out the little Albert study

Watson and Rayner

Who was B.F Skinner

• what study did he carry out

• Behaviourist

• Believed that behaviour is motivated by the consequences we receive for the behaviour - the reinforcement and the punishments

• 'The Skinner Box'

Define CC

• Learning via association

• CC occurs when a neutral stimulus is substituted for the original unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response

What is OC

• Learning through punishment and reinforcement

• OC assumes that some behaviours will be repeated based on their positive consequences

What are the assumptions of the behaviourist approach

• Psychology should study observable behaviour only

• Most behaviour is learned (via OC and CC)

• We can use animal research to reach conclusions about human behaviour as they have similar learning mechanisms

What is the process of CC

• Neutral Stimulus ---> Causes no response

• Unconditioned stimuli ---> Unconditioned response

  • (During) NS is associated with UCR

• Conditioned stimulus ---> Conditioned response

Outline negative reinforcement

Being more likely to repeat a behaviour as something is being taken away

What is this an example of

'a person learns to do a behaviour because their actions leads to something being taken away'

Negative Reinforcement

What is this an example of

'A person learns to do a behaviour because their actions leads to something good being received'

Positive Reinforcement

What is this an example of

'A person learns to avoid a certain behaviour because their actions leads to something bad happening to them'

Punishment

What is a neutral stimulus

A stimulus which initially produces no specific response other than focusing attention

Define Unconditioned stimulus

An unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is characterized as a stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response without the need for prior learning

Define Conditioned stimulus

The conditioned stimulus is a previously neutral stimulus that eventually triggers a conditioned response.

To do this the conditioned stimulus must first become associated with the unconditioned stimulus

Define an Unconditioned response

An unconditioned response is a natural reaction to an unconditioned stimulus

Define a Conditioned response

A conditioned response is a learned reaction to what was the neutral stimulus, but is now a conditioned stimulus

Which researcher conducted studies in rats, that supports the concept of operant conditioning?

B.F Skinner

What should Experimental Psychology be based on according to the behaviourists

Empirical Evidence

Outline Skinner's box experiment (1953)

• Conducted experiments within a box named the 'Skinner box'

• Every time a rat activated a lever within the box it was rewarded with a food pellet - from then on the animal would repeat the behaviour

• He also experimented with negative reinforcement

  • skinner would activate an electric shock to the floor of the box unless the animal activated the lever

What are the ethical concerns of the Skinner box

Animals were housed in harsh and cramped conditions and deliberately kept bellow their natural weight so they were always hungry

What are the strengths of the behaviourist approach

• Studies are controlled in lab settings to establish cause and effect relationships

  • meaning EVs can be removed, high internal validity

• Has real world application

  • token economies

Outline token economies

• A form of OC

• Used in prisons and institutions

• Appropriate behaviour is rewarded with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges

• Positive reinforcement

What are the limitations of the Behaviourist approach

• The approach has (arguably) oversimplified learning processes

• Ignores the influence of human thought on behaviour and ignores free will

• Sees behaviour as a recut of past conditioning experiences (environmental determinism)

  • ignores free will

Define environmental determinism

(believed by behaviourists)

• Ignores the concepts of free will and conscious decision making

• Suggests that all of our behaviour is as a result of past conditioning experiences

• Skinner suggested everything we do is as a result of our reinforcement history