Behavioural

What is Classical Conditioning?

Learning through association, discovered by Pavlov.

What does Classical Conditioning assume?

human behaviour is learnt through experience; humans are born 'tabula rasa' (a blank slate); only observable behaviour can be studied scientifically; it is valid to study animals as they share the same principals of learning.

What does CC involve?

Learning to associate a stimulus which brings about a response with a new stimulus so that it brings about the same response.

What is Stage 1 in CC?

Natural response — UCS → UCR

What is an Unconditioned Stimulus?

Anything that naturally has the power to produce a response in a human or animal.

What is an unconditioned response?

A natural reflect to an unconditioned stimulus.

What is Stage 2 in CC?

UCS + NS → UCR

What is a neutral stimulus?

Something in the environment which does not initially cause a response.

What is stage 3 in CC?

Conditioned stimulus → Conditioned response

What is a conditioned stimulus?

The neutral stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus when it acquires the ability to produce a specific response in the human or animal.

What is a conditioned response?

A learnt response to something that doesn't naturally have the power to produce a response in a human or animal.

CC overall

UCS → UCR; UCS + NS → UCR; CS → CR

Impact of timing on CC

If the NS can not be used to predict the UCS (e.g. if it occurs after the UCS) then conditioning does not take place.

Impact of extinction on CC

Pavlov discovered that unlike the UCS, the CR does not become permanently established as a response. After a few presentations of the CS without the UCS it loses its ability to produce the CR (e.g. the ball won't continue to produce salivation if it is not rung with the presentation of food.)

Impact of spontaneous recovery on CC

Following extinction, if the CS and UCS are then paired together once again the link between them is made much quickly.

Impact of stimulus generalisation

Pavlov discovered that once an animal has been conditioned, they will also respond to other stimuli that are similar to the CS.

What are the strengths of CC?

led to development of treatments (systematic desensitisation) for reduction of anxiety associated with phobias.; Works by eliminating the learned negative response.

What are the weaknesses of CC?

Doesn't work for all species as some face different challenges to survive.

What is operant conditioning?

Learning by consequence, where behaviour is aquired and maintained by its consequences including positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment.

What is reinforcement?

Something in the environment that strengthens a particular behaviour and so makes it more likely to reoccur.

What is positive reinforcement?

Occurs when a behaviour produces a positive consequence, strengthening the likelihood that behaviour will be repeated.

What is negative reinforcement?

Occurs when something unpleasant is removed or stopped to reinforce the desired behaviour.

What is punishment?

Refers to the circumstance where behaviour is folloed by an unpleasant experience. This would make the behaviour less likely to continue.

What is positive punishment?

Involves the addition of an unpleasant consequence.

What is negative punishment?

Occurs when something pleasant is removed.

Why is the use of animal research a weakness of OC?

argued to limit our understanding of human behaviour.; extrapolation from animal research cannot occur as human beings are more complex in their cognitive abilities, emotions and motivation.; by researching on animals and treating human beings as a product of conditioning means that evidence for the role of cognition is ignored, suggesting the behaviourist approach is insufficient for fully explaining human behaviour.

Why is environmental determinism a weakness of OC?

it suggests all behaviour has a cause from the environment (also could be strength due to cause and effect relationship); skinner suggests free will is an illusion, even through humans have it; negative implications- if offending behaviour is determined by an individual's environment, this may form an excuse for behaviour.