behaviourism

Question 1

assumptions of the behaviourist approach

Answer 1

• All behaviour is learnt from the environment. We learn new behaviour through classical or operant conditioning.
• Behaviourism is primarily concerned with observable behaviour, as opposed to internal events like thinking and emotion. Observable (i.e. external) behaviour can be objectively and scientifically measured.
• Psychology is a Science so behaviour must be measured in highly controlled environments to establish cause and effect. Therefore, they mainly rely on laboratory experiments.
• When born our mind is a blank slate.
• There is little difference between the learning that takes place in humans and that in other animals. Therefore research can be carried out on animals as well as humans.
• Behaviour is the result of stimulus – response (i.e. all behaviour, no matter how complex, can be reduced to a simple stimulus – response association).

Question 2

what is the behaviourist approach

Answer 2

• Watson 1915
• suggests that behaviour is learned,
• We are a product of our learning, experience and environment.
• argue that all behaviour is learnt from the environment
• we learn new behaviour through classical or operant conditioning

Question 3

What is classical conditioing

Answer 3

• involves learning through a process of association
• ccurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together - an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) and a new neutral stimulus (NS), the neutral stimulus eventually produces the same response that was first produced by the unconditioned stimulus alone

Question 4

process of classical conditioning

full answer not just abreviations!! if u rlly cba go for abrevaitions :p

Answer 4

• Initially, there is a reflex where an unconditioned or natural, stimulus (e.g. a loud noise) causes an unconditioned or natural, response (e.g. fear). A neutral stimulus (e.g. a clown) does not naturally produce a response.
• During conditioning, the neutral stimulus (clown) and unconditioned stimulus (loud noise) are paired together, with the neutral stimulus being presented just before the unconditioned stimulus. This often happens repeatedly. Initially the unconditioned response (fear) occurs as a result of the unconditioned stimulus (loud noise).
• After many pairings an association is formed between the neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus leading to a learned response (conditioned response) to what was previously the neutral stimulus, and is now called the conditioned stimulus (clown). Therefore, the conditioned stimulus (clown) alone now elicits the conditioned response (fear) without the unconditioned stimulus (loud noise) and so learning has taken place.

Question 5

Little Albert study

when explainign speak fully but in notes will be abreviated bc i #cba

Answer 5

• Watson and Rayner
  NS (white rat) –> no response
  UCS (loud noise) –> UCR (afraid)
  During conditioning:
  NS (rat) + UCS (noise) –> UCS (afraid)
  An association is formed between the NS and UCS, and as a result the UCR
  After conditioning:
  CS (rat) –> CR (afraid)
  He learned a new behaviour - to be afraid of rats
• albert also became scared of other white furry things - generalisation (phobias, what!)

Question 6

outline Pavlov’s research into classical conditioning

Answer 6

• Conducted a study of the salivation response in dogs
• He presented the dogs with a stimulus (e.g. a bell) and noted that the dogs did not respond. When he presented the dogs with food, they naturally salivated. Therefore, the bell was a neutral stimulus the food was an unconditioned stimulus and the salivation was an unconditioned response
• He then presented the dogs with the bell just before feeding them, and this was repeated many times. Pavlov found that the dogs formed an association between the bell and the food after many pairings, and they salivated when they heard the bell alone, even when they weren’t given food. As such, the bell had become a conditioned stimulus and the salivation was a conditioned response

Question 7

what is operant conditioning

Answer 7

learning through the consequences (positive and negative) of behavioural responses
- positive reinforcment
- negative reinforcment
- punishment

Question 8

defintion of reinforcment

Answer 8

a consequence of behaviour that increases the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated
positive: more likley to repeat behaviour because consequence of behaviour is positive
negative: more likley to repeat behaviour because consequence of behaviour is negative so want to avoid

Question 9

definition of punishment

Answer 9

an unpleasent consequence of behaviour that decreases the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated

Question 10

skinner’s research

Answer 10

• 1953 suggested that learning is an active process whereby humans and animals operate upon their environment
• developed a skinner box - an animal camber used in behavioural psychology to test hypotheses about behaviour and learning
• Skinner placed one rat at a time inside the box
• Each box contained different stimuli, including a lever that released food (the rat’s reward) and an electroplated floor (the rat’s punishment)
• Every time the rat activated a lever within the box it was rewarded with a food pellet. - going to pull the lever again, positive reinforcment
• Every time the rat was in the cage it was subjected to unpleasant electric shocks. When it hit the lever, the shocks stopped. - will pull lever again to avoid negative consequence of shock, negative reinforcment

Question 11

hwo did skinner make his experiment meet the behavourist assumption about controlled experimental research

Answer 11

• Soundproofed
• Automatically dispense food
• Small but still allow animals to move freely
• So we can be more confident that we can see cause and effect between the consequences of behaviour and whether the animal repeats the behaviour in the future because extraneous variables such as humans feeding the rats are controlled.

Question 12

def of a neutral stimulus

Answer 12

A stimulus that doesn’t naturally elicit a response

Question 13

def of an unconditioned stimulus

Answer 13

soemthign internal or external that causes an innate/unlearned/reflex response

Question 14

def of an unconditioned response

Answer 14

A natural reaction to a stimulus (reflex)

Question 15

def of a conditioned stimulus

Answer 15

A neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus through conditioning/ association
A stimulus that elicits a response after it has been paired with a UCS and so we have a learned response to

Question 16

def of a conditioned response

Answer 16

a learned response in response to a stimulus

Question 17

def of an assoication

Answer 17

when we learn to link two stimuli together

Question 18

strengths of the behaviourist approach

Answer 18

• Pavlov, Watson and Rayner, Skinner studies - support validity of the behaviourist approach as they suggest that behaviour can be learned through association and the consequences of behaviour
• token economy status - used successfully in institutions such as prison and psychiatric wards, work by rewarding appropriate behaviour with tokens. When enough tokens are earned, they can be exchanged for privileges. This makes the prisoners/patients more likely to behave appropriately as their positive behaviour is being reinforced - EXTERNALLY VALID bc the principles can be used to explain a wide range of behaviours and help to support treatment
• classical conditioning has been used effectively in the treatment of phobias through flooding and systematic desensitisation. Patients are exposed to the phobic stimulus (CS) which initially causes anxiety and fear (CR) but this eventually peaks and ebbs away. Therefore the patient learns to associate the phobic stimulus (CS) with relaxation (new CR), overcoming their phobia - EXTERNALLY VALID bc the principles can be used to explain a wide range of behaviours and help to support treatment
• Skinner relied on the experimental method, using controlled conditions e.g. the use of the Skinner box [give specific examples here based on your notes on L2b]. He was able to manipulate the independent variable (consequences of behaviour) to accurately measure the effects on the dependent variable (the rat’s behaviour) - RESEARCHERS able to establish cause and effect relationships between the consequences of behaviour (positive or negative) and the frequency of its future occurrence, supporting the internal validity of the approach also using scientific method behaviourism was influential in the development of psychology as a scientific discipline, giving it greater credibility and status.

Question 19

weakness of behaviourist approach

Answer 19

• Environmental detereminism, ignores the possibility of any free will inluencing ur vehaviour - negtaive consequences in real orld applicaiotn eg law system, criminals cpuld argye its beyond their control and nto take accountability therefore not particularly palatable in society.
• overly symplistic, envirionmentla redcutionism- Humans are much more complex and sophisticated than animals and operate at a higher cognitive level
• For OC some people cannot explain why some people may repeat behaviours which are damaging, detrimental or unpleasant such as sh (eww embarassing who the frick would do that) or smoking