Developmental Psychology

Behaviours are developed through operant conditioning and observation

How do we develop behaviours through operant conditioning? (AO1)

Some behaviours can be developed through patterns of rewards and punishment.

E.g Individual learn to behave in the education system as certain behavaviours such as being on time are rewarded so they are developed more but other behvaiours such as being late are punished so they are less developed.

The method of successive approximations explains how complex behaviours such as writing are learned through breaking them down and rewarding steps in the learnining process.

Schedules of reinforcement can explain why addictive behaviours such as gambling are developed as gambling games use a variable ratio of reward creating a high rate of responding

Strength for operant conditioning explaining how behaviours are developed (AO3)

Skinner found that learning does occur through reward and punishment as a rat learned to pull a lever to get a food pellet (reward) which is positive reinforcement and to stop getting shocked which is negative reinforcement.

Weakness for operant conditioning as an explanation of how behaviours are developed (AO3)

However different patterns of rewards and punishment cannot explain the development of all behaviours, just how existing behaviours are strengthened and/or weakened. Operant conditioning does not account for the learning of new behaviours e.g how the rat in Skinner's study learnt how to pull things. This shows that operant conditioning is not a full explanation of how behaviours are developed.

How do we develop behaviours through social learning? (AO1)

The development of aggression and mental health disorders can be caused by observing models in the environment.

Anorexia can be developed by paying attention to anorexic body images and behaviours such as purging that are retained and stored by observers. Learners could then reproduce these behaviours by purging themselves to replicate the observed body type and be motivated to continue due to the vicarious reinforcement.

Strength for social learning theory as an explanation for how behaviours are developed (AO3)

Bandura said children develop aggressive behaviours through the mechanisms of social learning

In his study he found that children developed and imitated aggressive behaviours after watching them be modelled by adults

This therefore shows how the observation of different models can lead to social behaviors being developed.

Weakness for social learning theory as an explanation for how behaviours are developed. (AO3)

However there may be genetic factors that lead to behaviours being developed. Research by Kendler (2015) showed higher concordance rates of aggression in identical twins than non-identical twins. This suggests that social learning theory is not a full explanation of how behaviours are developed as there may be biological genetic factors.