Behaviourist Approach (MW)

Question 1

Classical conditioning
-see Pavlov’s dogs and Skinner Box study

Answer 1

-making associations
-an involuntary, biological reflex becomes associated with a new, neutral stimulus, leading to the conditioned stimulus which then elicits the same response

Question 2

UCS, UCR, NS, CS, CR
(classical conditioning)

Answer 2

Conditioned: learned
Unconditioned: not learned, natural

Unconditioned stimulus (UCS): naturally produces a behavioural response
e.g food makes dog salivate

Unconditioned response (UCR):
the natural response to an unconditioned stimulus
e.g salivating

Neutral stimulus (NS):
a stimulus that does not naturally produce a response
e.g a bell

Conditioned stimulus (CS):
when a neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus an association is built up so eventually it produces a response on its own (it is no longer neutral) so becomes a CS
e.g the bell after a while

Conditioned response (CR):
the learned response to the conditioned stimulus
e.g the dog salivates when the bell is rung even if there is no food.

UCS -> UCR
UCS + NS -> UCR
CS (was NS) -> CR

food -> drool
food+ bell -> drool
bell -> drool

Question 3

Operant conditioning
-see Skinner Box study

Answer 3

Learning by consequence NOT association
rewards or punishments are given AFTER an activity as a consequence of it

Positive Reinforcement (given): something nice is given in consequence
Negative Reinforcement (taken away): something bad is taken away in consequence
Positive Punishment (given): something unpleasant is given as a consequence
Negative Punishment (taken away): something good is taken away as a consequence

whether it is Positive or Negative just means If something is being given or taken away it has nothing to do with good or bad
reinforcement makes them do it more, punishment makes them do it less

HOWEVER in exam Q. feeding a rat to get it out of the cage does not make it +ve reinforcement as the rat is enticed by the food, it would have to move out of the cage and THEN be fed for it to be +ve reinforcement
association is classical conditioning

Question 4

Evaluation of the behaviourist Approach

Answer 4

Useful real-life application:
One strength is that the ideas of classical and operant conditioning can be applied in the real world.For example, the principles of operant conditioning can be used to manipulate the way people behave such as use of merit or behaviour points at school creating the desired behaviour for the teachers. This means the theories are useful as they can be used to benefit people in the real world.

Supporting research evidence:
P: One strength of the BA is that it employs the use of scientific research evidence.
E: Well-controlled, experimental, empirical and objective research methods are used e,g Skinner Boxes.
E: This means cause and effect relationships can be established and further add credibility to the approach

Alternative explanations to human behaviour:
One weakness of the BA is that it ignores the role of any biological factors. The behavourist claim that all behaviour is learned which means it does not account for genetic differences which can affect the way our brains work, which undoubtedly does have an influence on human behaviour. This means behavourist theories are arguably oversimplified explanations of human behaviour.

Socially sensitive:
P: One weakness of the BA is that it is socially sensitive.
E: It is deterministic (suggesting that all our behaviour is determined by our environmental experiences) and therefore ignores the idea of free-will.
E: So it then questions whether people should be held accountable for their own behaviour which is an extreme view.

Question 5

STUDY
Classical conditioning
-Pavlov’s dogs
:dogs were conditioned to drool when a bell was rung rather than to food alone

Answer 5

+ve
Scientific basis: Provides a simple, objective explanation for how we learn associations.
Broad application: Explains how some phobias and other behaviors are acquired.
Therapeutic use: Underpins treatments like systematic desensitization for phobias.
Real-world utility: Utilized in marketing, education, and animal training to influence behavior

-ve
Limited validity: Generalizing from animal studies to complex human beings is problematic.
Deterministic view: Suggests behavior is environmentally controlled, ignoring individual differences and cognitive factors as well as complex human behaviours

Question 6

STUDY
Classical conditioning
-Little Albert
:he was conditioned to be afraid of a white rat and other associated objects like fluffy coats by being shown the white rat while a loud gong was struck behind his head

Answer 6

An early study in the 1920s that laid groundworks for the understanding of classical conditioning and forming the basis for effective behavioral therapies

+ve
-demonstrated classical conditioning in humans whilst Pavlov used dogs
-Showcased stimulus generalization (he became afraid of other similar objects helping to explain how phobias might extend
-Influenced behavioral therapy the findings laid the groundwork for understanding how phobias can be learned and potentially unlearned

-ve
-Severe ethical violations the researchers made no effort to “decondition” Albert
-Lack of controls: The study had no control group for comparison, and a sample size of one infant means the results are not generalizable to a wider population.

Question 7

STUDY
Operant conditioning
-Skinner’s boxes
:rats and pigeons learned to press levers and other complex behaviours
-food pellets were given as +ve reinforcement (given)
-mild electric shocks were given as +ve punishment (given)
-removal of ongoing mild electric shock used as -ve reinforcement (taken away)
= making them press the lever more or less

Answer 7

+ve
-Scientific control: the box allowed for repeatable research by isolating variables and using a standardised procedure.
-Provided foundational understanding of operant conditioning, demonstrating how reinforcement and punishment shape behavior
-Objective data: Used a cumulative recorder for objective, quantifiable measurement of an animal’s response rates

-ve
-Questionable generalisation: Human behavior is far more complex than animal behavior, making the transferability of findings from rats or pigeons problematic.
Limited scope: The apparatus primarily measures simple actions, making it unsuitable for studying more complex or internal mental processes