Behaviourist Approach

Question 1

What does the behaviourist approach include?

Answer 1

Classical conditioning and Pavlov’s research, operant conditioning and Skinner’s research (Skinner’s Box) and types of reinforcement and punishment

Question 2

What do behaviourists argue that behaviour is learned from?

Answer 2

Behaviourists argue that behaviour is learned through experiences and interactions with the environment

Question 3

What is a stimulus-response mechanism?

Answer 3

Behaviourists argue that it is only possible to scientifically investigate what can be directly observed and measured. This includes what you do to a creature (stimulus) and the resulting behaviour (response)

Question 4

What is the rejection of internal mental processes?

Answer 4

The mind CANNOT be directly observed, behaviourists argue it is a ‘black box’, not suitable for scientific study

Question 5

What is environmental determinism?

Answer 5

Behaviour is the result of experience so it can be predicted and controlled by manipulating the environment

Question 6

What was Pavlov credited for?

Answer 6

Credited for discovering the process of Classical Conditioning (cc)

Question 7

What does Pavlov investigate?

Answer 7

The salivating reflex in dogs when he noticed that dogs salivate when certain stimuli appear such as a dog bowl

Question 8

What is classical conditioning? (Also known as associative learning)

Answer 8

Argues an unconditioned response can be triggered by a neutral stimulus through repeated pairing and eventually the neutral stimulus alone produces the conditioned response

Question 9

What happens before conditioning?

Answer 9

-Food was an unconditioned stimulus that produced the reflex of salivating which is an unconditioned response
-The bell was a neutral stimulus that produced no conditioned response

Question 10

What happens during conditioning?

Answer 10

-The unconditioned stimulus of food repeatedly paired with the neutral stimulus of the bell
-The bell becomes associated with the food

Question 11

What happens after conditioning?

Answer 11

-The bell is now a conditioned stimulus that produces salivating as a conditoned response

Question 12

Evaluations of Classical Conditioning—— Weaknesses (3)

Answer 12

1.Can be seen as reductionist (exaplins complex phenonma by breaking them down into their simplest, most basic, component parts.)
2.Can be seen as deterministic (the view that all human behaviours and choices are predetermined by prior causes and can be predicted)
3.Can be seen as limited to certain types of learning, works best for explaining reflexes or automatic behaviours

Question 13

Evaluation of Classical Conditioning——— Strengths (3)

Answer 13

1.Has real-world applications
2.High scientific credibility due to they types of experiments used
3.Focuses on objective and measureable behaviour

Question 14

What is operant conditioning also known as?

Answer 14

Learning by reinforcement

Question 15

What is Operant Conditioning?

Answer 15

When a creature performs voluntary responses, it learns from the consequences of those actions.
Consequences that are rewarding reinforce a behaviour so that they are performed more frequently and actions that result in consequences that are punishing are performed less

Question 16

What did Skinner’s research include?

Answer 16

The Skinner’s Box which was a controlled environment designed to study operant conditioning

Question 17

How did the Skinner Box experiment work? (Rat treat)

Answer 17

A hungry rat was placed into the Skinner Box without prior training and was free to move around the rat might accidentally press the lever and be given a treat and press the lever again.

Question 18

How does the Skinner Box experiment work? (Rat electric shock)

Answer 18

A rat was placed into the box where it could receive an eletric shock through cage wires and by pressing the lever the rat avoids the shock resulting in the rat repeatingly pressing the lever

Question 19

What were the findings from the Skinner Box?

Answer 19

-Behaviour is influenced by the consequences that folllow
-Behaviours followed by rewarding consequences are more likely to be repeated (reinforced), while those followed by undesirable consequences are less likely to recur

Question 20

What types of reinforcement are there?

Answer 20

Positive and negative

Question 21

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 21

Adding a pleasant stimulus to encourage a desired behaviour

Question 22

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 22

Is removing an unpleasant stimulus to encourage the behaviour

Question 23

What does punishment do for behaviour?

Answer 23

Discourages behaviour

Question 24

What types of punishment are there?

Answer 24

Positive and negative

Question 25

What is positive punishment?

Answer 25

Adding an unpleasant stimulus following an undesired behaviour

Question 26

What is negative punishment?

Answer 26

Removing a pleasant stimulus

Question 27

What is extinction?

Answer 27

If the reinforcing consequences stop, then the person or animal will stop performing the behaviour

Question 28

What is behaviour shaping?

Answer 28

It is possible to train animals to perform complex behaviours through operant conditioning, initially simple behaviours are rewarded, then behaviours that are closer to the desired behaviour are rewarded

Question 29

Evaluation of Operant Conditioning—— Strengths (3)

Answer 29

1.Allowed real-world applications in setting such as schools, prisons, animal training 2.Utilitised scientific methodology 3.Clear restable concepts

Question 30

Evaluation of Operant Conditioning——— Weaknesses (3)

Answer 30

1.Much evidence comes from animal studies 2.Raise ethical concern 3.The Behaviourist Approach ignores the role of internal mental processes