Learning approaches: The behaviourist approach Overview & Classical Conditioning (including Pavlov's research)

- Learning approaches, The cognitive approach, The biological approach

What are the different branches of learning approaches?

What are the 8 things the behaviourist approach assumes?

• That everyone is born as a ‘blank slate’ which life writes upon

• All behaviour is learned from the environment, e.g upbringing, neighbourhood, peers, education

• behaviour can be understood

• Behaviours which can be directly observed only can be measured

• Lab-based, scientific methods are the only way that behaviours can be studied

• Animal research may be used as a basic for understanding human behaviour

• Repeated behaviours become internalised and automatic e.g hearing the bell ring for the end of the lesson triggers packing away and moving to the next lesson

What are the two ways behaviour can be understood via?

• a stimulus-response approach (classical conditioning)

• the mechanism of reward and reinforcement (operant conditioning)

What are the 5 keys to the learning approach?

• Blank slate

• Environment

• Learn/ Conditioned

• Observable behaviour

• Animals

El Bao (way to remember)

What is classical conditioning (CC)?

it is learning via association and is one of the core assumptions of the behaviourist approach.

When does classical conditioning occur?

when a neutral stimulus is substituted for the original unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response

What is an unconditioned stimulus?

An unconditioned stimulus produces a natural, unforced response, i.e no animal or human has to learn how to feel hungry

Describe the mechanism of CC

• The unconditional stimulus (UCS) is the starting point

• The UCS is a stimulus that produced an unconditional response (UCR) (Food is an UCS as it is a natural, physiological reflex the UCR to food being presented is to salivate/ feel hungry)

• The UCS is paired with a neutral stimulus (NS) : one which ordinarily and on its own doesn’t produce a strong response (neither positive or negative) e.g a tone being sounded

• When the UCS is paired with a NS the response continues to be the UCR, as a result of the UCS.

• After repeated pairings, the NS is presented on its own and elicits the UCR e.g salivation

• The NS has thus become the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the salivation has become the conditioned response (CR)

• When the CS is presented, it will result in the CR

• After some time the NS must be paired with the UCS again, otherwise extinction will occur

Generally can the conditioned response be as strong as the unconditioned response (UCR)?

No, the unconditioned response is generally stronger than the conditioned response

What can occur if the neutral stimulus is not paired with the unconditioned stimulus again?

extinction can occur

What was Pavlov’s research?

The mechanisms of classical conditioning were discovered accidently by Pavlov (1897), a physiologist who was measuring the volume of specific enzymes in dog saliva.

Explain what Pavlov discovered which led to his main research

• Dogs were attached to an apparatus in a a lap which held them in place and collected their saliva

• Pavlov noticed that the dogs began to salivate before they saw or smelt food (they became to salivate when they heard the footsteps of the lab assistants approaching)

• Pavlov was astounded by this discovery as he believed the dogs should only salivate when presented with the UCS (food) rather than an NS (foot steps)

To test what he had discovered, what procedure did he set up?

1. The dog is given food as usual (UCS)

2. The dog salivated when it sees and smells the food (UCR)

3. A bell is sounded (NS) every time the dog is given food (UCS)

4. A bell is sounded every time the food is presented (the pairing of NS and UCS)

5. After repeated pairings, the dog salivates when it hears the bell

6. The bell has become the (CS)

7. The dog salivating to the sound of the bell has become the (CR)

8. The dog continues to salivate to the bell however when Pavlov stopped pairing the bell and the food he found that he CR decreased and gradually disappeared (known as extinction)

What are the strengths of Pavlov’s research?

• The use of scientific methods (e.g lab experiments),

• this made the test reliable (based on the use of testable hypothesis)

• hypothesis testing takes place in controlled conditions using standardised, replicable procedures)

• these measures above produce results which show consistency over time

What are the limitations of Pavlov’s research?

It cannot explain all behaviour, e.g:

• behaviour which resits conditioning e.g someone who has been brought up n a strict religious environment who goes on to reject that religion

• this means classical conditioning has limited external validity

• behaviourism is highly deterministic (environmental determinism). the assumption is that people are controlled by environmental forced and have little autonomy over their destiny), this assumption negates the role of free will in behaviour which reduced the usefulness of the approach, seeing people in almost mechanical terms