Behaviorist Approach

Learning Approaches: The Behaviourist Approach

Emerged at the beginning of the 20th century and dominated psychology for about half a century.
Credited as the driving force behind the development of psychology as a scientific discipline.

Behavioural (Behaviourist) Approach: A way of explaining behaviour in terms of observable actions and learning processes.
Classical Conditioning: Learning by association, occurring when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together—an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) and a neutral stimulus (NS).
- Eventually, the neutral stimulus produces the same response as the unconditioned stimulus.
Operant Conditioning: A form of learning where behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences.
- Reinforcement: A consequence of behaviour that increases its likelihood of recurrence, which can be either positive or negative.
- Positive Reinforcement: Receiving a reward when a desired behaviour is performed.
- Negative Reinforcement: Avoidance of an unpleasant consequence, leading to an increase in behaviour.
- Punishment: An unpleasant consequence of behaviour that decreases the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated.

Before Conditioning:
- UCS (food) → unconditioned response (salivation)
- NS (bell) → no response
During Conditioning:
- UCS (food) paired with NS (bell) → response (salivation)
After Conditioning:
- CS (bell) → conditioned response (salivation)

Negative Reinforcement vs. Punishment:
- Negative Reinforcement: Increases likelihood of behaviour being repeated (avoids unpleasant consequences).
- Punishment: Decreases likelihood of behaviour being repeated (induces unpleasant consequences).

Focuses only on observable and measurable behaviours, ignoring mental processes.
Early behaviourists, such as John B. Watson (1913), rejected introspection due to its vague concepts and lack of measurement.
Behaviourists assert that all behaviour is learned, describing a baby's mind as a blank slate shaped by experiences.
Suggest basic processes driving learning are common across all species, leading to research with animals rather than humans.

Classical conditioning was discovered by Ivan Pavlov (1927).
- Demonstrated how dogs could be conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell when it was paired with food multiple times.
- The neutral stimulus (bell) eventually elicited the same salivation response as the unconditioned stimulus (food).

Proposed by B.E. Skinner (1953), suggesting learning is an active process where organisms operate on their environments.

Positive Reinforcement: E.g., praise from a teacher for correct answers.
Negative Reinforcement: Avoidance of an unpleasant consequence, e.g., submitting an essay to avoid reprimand.
Punishment: E.g., reprimands for talking in class, leading to changes in behaviour.

Skinner Box Mechanics:
- Conducted experiments with rats (and pigeons) in specially designed boxes.
- Activation of a lever (or pecking a disc) rewarded the animal with food pellets.
- Conditioned animals continued the behaviour by associating it with rewards.
- Showed that avoidance behaviour could also be conditioned by preventing unpleasant stimuli (e.g., electric shock).

Scientifically coherent and controlled:
- Research is conducted in highly controlled lab settings, allowing for the elimination of extraneous variables.
- Enables establishment of cause-and-effect relationships, illustrating the influence of reinforcement on behaviour.

Oversimplification of learning:
- Critics argue the behaviourist approach risks ignoring the mental processes involved in learning.
- Emphasis on observable behaviour may disregard the complexities of cognitive influences highlighted by other approaches (e.g., cognitive psychology).

Effective use of conditioning principles to address real-world issues:
- E.g., token economy systems in institutions reward good behaviours, reflecting successful applications of operant conditioning.

Behaviourists view behaviour as entirely conditioned by past learning experiences.
Skinner: stated that choices are influenced by reinforcement history, suggesting free will is an illusion.
- This perspective neglects individual conscious decision-making processes, as recognized by cognitive theories.

Ethical issues regarding animal treatments in behaviourist research:
- Criticism of harsh living conditions, keeping animals below natural weights for hunger-based experiments.
- Raises questions about whether the knowledge gained justifies the treatment of the subjects.

Skinner's principles useful in understanding gambling addiction:
- Reinforcement through variable ratio schedules prolongs gambling behaviour.
- Rewards occur after unpredictable numbers of actions, leading to increased engagement.

David Wong (2008) relates Skinnerian principles to video game addiction, indicating that games function as a Skinner box through rewards tied to player actions and achievements.
- For example, players receive reinforcement (points, levels) similar to how animals in a Skinner box are rewarded for pressing a lever.

Define 'classical conditioning' according to the behaviourist approach.
Outline two types of reinforcement described by the behaviourist approach.
Outline and evaluate the behaviourist approach in psychology, considering both strengths and limitations.