BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH

Key assumptions of behaviourist approach

• All behaviour is learned from the environment, the mind is a blank slate

• Psychology should only observe, measurable behaviour, rejecting references to internal mental states

• Humans and animals learn in the same ways

classical conditioning

a form of learning that occurs through association, when a stimulus is associated with another to produce the same response

an unconditional stimulus

A stimulus that naturally produces a response, without any prior learning

an unconditioned response

The automatic, unlearned response produced by the UCS requiring no conditioning

a neutral stimulus

A stimulus that initially produces no relevant response

conditioned stimulus

The previously neutral stimulus that after repeated pairing with the UCS comes to produce a response by itself

conditioned response

The learned response produced by the CS alone, following conditioning

the unconditioned stimulus in Pavlov’s experiment before conditioning

Food

the neutral stimulus in Pavlov’s experiment before conditioning

Bell

the neutral stimulus in Pavlov’s experiment before conditioning

Bell

paired together during conditioning during Pavlov’s experiment

Bell and food to produce salivation

produced the conditioned response of salivation after conditioning

Bell

extinction in terms of classical conditioning

The conditioned response gradually weakens and disappears when the conditioned stimulus is present repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus. Association breaks down through lack of reinforcement

spontaneous recovery in terms of classical conditioning

After extinction the conditioned response can suddenly reappear if the conditioned stimulus is present again after a rest period

generalisation in terms of classical conditioning

Stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus produce the same conditioned response

discrimination in terms of classical conditioning

The organism learns to respond to only the conditioned stimulus and not similar stimuli

operant conditioning

Learning a behaviour through consequences

positive reinforcement

A pleasant stimulus added following a behaviour

negative reinforcement

An unpleasant stimulus is removed following a behaviour

positive punishment

An unpleasant stimulus is added following a behaviour

negative punishment

A pleasant stimulus is removed following a behaviour

impact reinforcement has on behaviour

Strengthens likelihood of behaviour being repeated

the positive reinforcement in Skinner’s box and effect on lever pressing rate

A food pellet every time the lever was pressed increasing lever pressing rate

negative reinforcement in Skinner’s box and effect on lever pressing rate

Shock is switched of ever time lever was pressed increasing lever pressing rate

impact punishment has on behaviour

Weakens likelihood of behaviour being repeated