Learning Approaches: The Behaviourist Approach

What is the behaviourist approach?

A way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning.

What us the behaviourist approach interested in?

Studying behaviour that can be observed and measured, not mental processes of the mind because these were seen as irrelevant.

Why did early behaviourists such as Watson reject introspection?

As it involved too many concepts that were vague and difficult to measure. As a result, behaviorists tried to maintain more control and objectvity within their research and relied on lab studies as the best way to achieve this.

What do behaviourists believe?

That all behaviour is learned; a baby’s mind is described as a ‘blank slate‘ and this is written on by experience. They suggested the basic processes that govern learnin are the same in all species.

What are the two important forms of learning according to behaviourists?

Classical and operant conditioning.

What is classical conditioning?

Learning by association; where two stimulus are repeatedly paired together.

What research is there into classical conditioning?

Pavlov demonstrated classical conditioning by showing how dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell is that sound was repeatedly presented at the same time as they were given food. Gradually, Pavlov’s dogs learned to associate the sound of a bell (stimulus) with the found (unconditioned stimulus) and produce the salivation response every time they heard the sound.

What is operant conditioning?

A form of which behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences. Possible consequences of behaviour include reinforcement (positive or negative) and punishment.

What is positive reinforcement?

Receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed,

What is negative reinforcement?

Occurs when an animal or human avoids something unpleasant, The outcome is a positive experience.

What is punishment?

An unpleasant consequence of behaviour.

What do positive and negative reinforcement increase?

The likelihood that behaviour will be repeated.

What does punishment do?

Decreases the likelihood that behaviour will be repeated.

What was Skinner’s research into operant conditioning?

Rats and sometimes pigeons were put in Skinner boxes. Every time the rat activated a lever it was rewarded with a food pellet. From then on, the animal would continue to perform the behaviour.

What else did Skinner show?

How rats and pigeons could also be conditioned to perform the same behaviour to avoid an unpleasant stimulus, like an electric shock.

What are the strengths of the behaviourist approach?

Well-controlled research.

Real world application.

How is well controlled research a strength of the behaviourist approach?

Behaviourists focused on the measurement of observable behaviour within highly controlled lab settings. By breaking down behaviour into basic stimulus-response units, all other possible extraneous variables were removed, allowing cause and effect relationships to be established.

What does well controlled research suggest about the behaviourist approach?

That behaviourist experiments have scientific credibility.

What is the counterpoint of the well-controlled research?

The problem with well controlled research is that behaviourists may have oversimplified the learning process. By reducing behaviour to such simple components, behaviourists may have ignored an important influence on learning - that of human thought. Other approaches, such as social learning theory and the cognitive approach have drawn attention to the mental processes involved in learning.

What does the counterpoint to the well-controlled research say about the behaviourist approach?

That learning is more complex than observable behaviour alone, and that private mental processes are also essential.

How is real-world application a strength of the behaviourist approach?

The principles of conditioning have been applied to real-world behaviours. For example, operant conditioning is the basis of token economy systems that have been used successfully in institutions such as prisons and psychiatric wards. These work by rewarding appropriate behaviour with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges,

What does the real-world application mean for the behaviourist approach?

It increases the value of the behaviourist approach because it has widespread application.

What is the limitation of the behaviourist approach?

Environmental determinism.

How is environmental determinism a limitation of behaviourist approach?

It sees all behaviour as conditioned by past experiences. Skinner suggested that everything we do is the sum total of our reinforcement history. When something happens we may think we made the decision to do it, but according to Skinner, our past conditioning history determined the outcome. This ignores any possible influence that free will may have in behaviour.

What does the environmental determinism mean for the behaviourist approach?

It is an extreme position and ignores the influence of conscious-decision making processes on behaviour.