Behaviourist Approach - Classical Conditioning

What does the behaviourist approach focus on?

Observable behaviour that can be objectively measured and scientifically tested.

What key assumption does the behaviourist approach make about learning?

All behaviour is learned from the environment.

What do behaviourists believe about innate behaviour?

We are born a blank slate (tabula rasa) and learn through experience.

What two forms of learning do behaviourists identify?

Classical conditioning and operant conditioning.

Who developed classical conditioning?

Pavlov

What is classical conditioning?

Learning through association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus.

In Pavlov’s research, what was the neutral stimulus (NS)?

The bell.

In Pavlov’s research, what was the unconditioned stimulus (UCS)?

Food.

In Pavlov’s research, what was the unconditioned response (UCR)?

Salivation to food.

After conditioning, what became the conditioned stimulus (CS)?

The bell after association with food.

After conditioning, what was the conditioned response (CR)?

Salivation to the bell.

What process explains why a dog salivates to similar sounds after training with a bell?

Stimulus generalisation.

What process explains why the conditioned response weakens when the CS is repeatedly presented without the UCS?

Extinction.

Why did behaviourists use animals in their research?

They believed learning processes were the same in all species, allowing generalisation to humans.

Why is the behaviourist approach considered scientific?

It uses controlled, objective lab experiments with measurable variables.

What is a limitation of using animals in behaviourist research?

Animal learning may not fully reflect complex human behaviour.

How can classical conditioning be applied in therapy?

Systematic desensitisation uses association to reduce phobic responses.

What does the term ‘tabula rasa’ mean in the behaviourist approach?

It means ‘blank slate’ — humans are born without built-in knowledge or behaviour.

How does the behaviourist approach explain differences in behaviour between people?

Differences arise from differences in learning experiences, not innate factors.

Outline a strength of the behaviourist approach.

It has scientific credibility due to controlled, replicable methods that establish cause and effect.

Outline a limitation of the behaviourist approach.

It ignores cognitive and biological processes, making it reductionist.

Explain how classical conditioning can be demonstrated using Pavlov’s experiment.

Pavlov paired a neutral stimulus (bell) with an unconditioned stimulus (food)

until the bell alone produced salivation,

showing learning through association.