Learning approaches: The Behaviourist Approach

Who are the key psychologists?

Pavlov and Skinner

What does the behaviourist approach study?

Only behaviour that can be observed or measured

Does the behaviourist approach accept or reject introspection?

Reject

Why does the behaviourist approach reject introspection?

Concepts were vague and difficult to measure

What do behaviourists suggest about our learning processes?

They’re the same in all species so animals can replace humans as experimental subjects

What is classical conditioning?

Associating two stimuli together to elicit a new learned response

Who studied Classical conditioning?

Pavlov

What was Pavlovs study called?

Pavlovs dogs

Describe Pavlovs study

What is operant conditioning?

Behaviour is shaped and maintained through consequences

Who studied operant conditioning?

Skinner

What was Skinners study called?

Skinners box

Describe Skinners study

What are the 3 consequences of behaviour?

Positive reinforcement

Negative reinforcement

Punishment

What is positive reinforcement?

Recieving a reward when behaviour is performed

What is negative reinforcement?

Avoiding something unpleasant when a behaviour is performed

What is punishment?

An unpleasant consequence of behaviour

What does postivie/negative reinforcement lead to the increased likelihood of?

Repeated behaviour

What does punishment reduce the likelihood of?

Repeated behaviour

A03 Strength: Uses well-controlled research

Measures observable behaviour in controlled lab settings

Broken behaviour down into stimulus-response units and studied casual relationships

Behaviourist experiments have scientific credibility

A03 Strength: Real world application

Principles of conditioning have been applied to a range of real world behaviours

e.g token economy reward systems in prisons where desirable behaviour is rewarded with tokens in exchange for privileges

Increases value of approach as it has widespread application

A03 Limitation: Environmental determinism

All behaviour is determined by past experiences and ignores free will

Skinner - free will is an illusion and our past conditioning determines outcomes of situations

Extreme position which ignores influence of conscious decision making processes on behaviour

A03 Limitation: Ethical Issues

Animals kept in harsh conditions

Deliberately kept underweight so they were always hungry

Question of benefits vs costs

some would say the benefits outweigh the harm the animals experienced