operant,classical,observational differences

what is the difference between behaviourism and conditioning

behaviourism: the overall school of thought stating that psychology should only study observable behaviours, not the internal mind.

conditioning: the specific learning mechanisms used within behaviourism to show how the environment shapes behaviour

what is an analogy for the difference between behaviourism and conditioning

behaviourism is the tree and conditioning is the branch

how do you tell classical conditioning apart from operant conditioning

classical (pavlov): focuses on involuntary/automatic reflexes. Learning happens by associating two stimuli together

operant (skinner): focuses on voluntary actions. Learning happens through the consequences (rewards of punishment) that follow a behaviour

why is Albert Bandura neither classical nor operant conditioning

traditional conditioning requires direct, personal experience (you must experience the pairing or the reward/punishment yourself)

Bandura’s theory is based on Observational Learning - you learn simply by watching others, without needing direct conditioning

how does Bandura’s view of the mind differ from strict behaviourists like watson/skinner

strict behaviourists: view the mind as a “black box” that cannot be studied. they only care about stimulus → response

bandura: reopens the box. He argues that internal thinking processes (attention, memory, and motivation) happen between the stimulus and the response