Behavourism

Question 1

what is classical conditioning

Answer 1

learning through association

Question 2

who discovered classical conditioning

Answer 2

pavlov

Question 3

before conditioning

explain stage 1 of classical conditioning

Answer 3

• unconditioned stimulus produces an unconditioned response

Question 4

during conditioning

explain stage 2 of classical conditoning

Answer 4

• a stimulus which produces no response (neutral stimulus) is associated with the unconditioned stimulus
• the neutral stimulus now becomes known as the conditioned stimulus

Question 5

after conditioning

explain stage 3 of classical conditioning

Answer 5

• the conditioned stimulus has been associated with the unconditioned stimulus to create a new conditioned response

Question 6

who discovered operant conditioning

Answer 6

skinner

Question 7

what is operant conditioning

Answer 7

the consequences of a response determine the probability of it being repeated

Question 8

what are the 3 types of responses that skinner identified

Answer 8

• neutral operants
• reinforcers
• punishers

Question 9

explain what reinforcers are

Answer 9

reponses from the environment that increase the probability of a behaviour being repeated

Question 10

explain what punishers are

Answer 10

responses from the environment that decrease the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated

Question 11

what is positive reinforcement

Answer 11

strengthens a behaviour by providing a consequence an individual finds rewarding

Question 12

explain how skinner showed how positive reinforcement worked

Answer 12

• paced a hungry rat in a skinner box
• the box had a lever on the side and as the rat moved around the box, it would accidentally knoc the lever
• immediately a food pellet would drop into the container
• the rats quickly learned to go straight to the lever after a few times of being in the box
• the consequence of receiving food if they pressed the lever ensured that they would repeat the action again

Question 13

explain what is meant by negative reinforcement

Answer 13

the removal of an unpleasant stimulus or experience following a behavioural response

Question 14

explain how skinner showed how negative reinforcement worked

Answer 14

• placed a rat in his skinner box and subjected it to an unpleasant electric current
• as the rat moved around the box it would accidentally knoc the lever, this would turn the current off
• the rats quickly learned to go straight to the lever
• the consequence of escaping the electric current ensured they would repeat the action

Question 15

what is punishment

Answer 15

weaken or eliminate a response rather than to increase it

Question 16

what are 3 prblems with using punishment

Answer 16

• punished behaviour is not forgotten, its suppressed
• causes increases aggression
• creates fear that can generalise to undesirable behaviours

Question 17

evaluate the behavourist approach

strength

Answer 17

• P - uses highly scientifuc research methods
• Eg - lab experiment with strictly controlled conditions. skinner used a skinners box and precisely timed the rates of operant responding
• Ex - this reduces the effect of extraneous variables
• L this increaes the reliability and internal validity of the findings

Question 18

evaluate the behavourist approach

limitation

Answer 18

• p - environmental determinism
• Eg - Skinner suggested everything we do is the sum or our reinforcements
• Ex - this ignores any possible influence free will may have
• L - this deterministic stance may not be appropraite to explain human behaviour because humans are affected by emotions and motivation
• Rotter’s locus of control research shows that individuals with an internal locus believe their own choices drive outcomes, indicating that personal agency shapes behaviour