behaviourism

Question 1

What is behaviourism?

Answer 1

-A theoretical perspective in psychology that emphasises the role of learning and observable behaviours in understanding human and animal actions.

Question 2

Who was the founder of behaviourism?

Answer 2

Watson in 1931

Question 3

What are all behaviours learned through? What is behaviour?

Answer 3

-conditioned interaction with the environment
-behaviour is simply a response to environmental stimuli

Question 4

Why is it only concerned with observable stimulus-response behaviours?

Answer 4

-because they can be studied in a systematic and observable manner

Question 5

What are the key assumptions?

Answer 5

-behaviour should be studied in an objective way to make psychology a science
-all behaviour is a result of learning from the environment
-behaviour is the result of stimulus response
-only observable behaviour should be studied
-little difference between the learning that takes place in humans and other animals

Question 6

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 6

it refers to learning by association, and involves the conditioning of innate bodily reflexes with new stimuli

Question 7

What is an unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 7

a thing that naturally causes the unconditioned response

Question 8

What is an unconditioned response?

Answer 8

a natural response to the unconditioned stimulus

Question 9

What is the neutral stimulus?

Answer 9

a thing that doesn’t naturally produce the unconditioned response

Question 10

What is the conditioned stimulus?

Answer 10

once the unconditioned stimulus and the neutral stimulus have been paired several times, the neutral stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus

Question 11

What is the conditioned response?

Answer 11

the learnt response to the conditioned stimulus

Question 12

Pavlov’s Experiment

Answer 12

-Ivan Pavlov showed that dogs could be classically conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell, if that sound was repeatedly presented while they were given food
-First presented with the sound of a bell- did not salivate- neutral stimulus
-Presented with food- salivated- food was unconditioned stimulus and salvation was an unconditioned response
-Pavlov then repeatedly presented the dogs with the sound of the bell first and then the food (pairing) after a few repetitions, the dogs salivated when they heard the sound of the bell.
-The bell had become the conditioned stimulus and salivation had become the conditioned response.

Question 13

What are examples of classical conditioning applied to real life?

Answer 13

-taste aversion
-learned emotions
-advertising
-phobias

Question 14

What is generalisation?

Answer 14

showing the conditioned response in response to things resembling the conditioned stimulus

Question 15

What is discrimination?

Answer 15

only showing the conditioned response in response to a very particular situation

Question 16

What is extinction?

Answer 16

if the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned response may stop

Question 17

What is spontaneous recovery?

Answer 17

-after extinction, it doesn’t take many responses for the conditioned response to begin again

Question 18

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 18

Skinner argued for this.
The active learning process that involves humans and animals animals ‘operating’ on their environment to see the consequences.
Good consequence- more likely to repeat behaviour in the future.
Bad consequence- less likely to repeat behaviour in the future.

Question 19

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 19

A positive outcome following a behaviour.
Increases behaviour.

Question 20

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 20

A behaviour that leads to the removal of something negative.
Increases behaviour.
e.g. wearing sunscreen to avoid sunburn

Question 21

What is punishment?

Answer 21

A circumstance whereby a behaviour is followed by a negative consequence.
Decreases behaviour.
e.g. being grounded

Question 22

What is the difference between a positive and negative punishment?

Answer 22

A positive punishment is when something negative is administrated.
A negative punishment is the removal of something positive.

Question 23

What is a Skinner box?

Answer 23

It allows the researcher to test operant conditioning by isolating the subject from the external environment and has a behaviour indicator, such as a lever or a button.

Question 24

What happens in the Skinner box?

Answer 24

A rat is being positively reinforced (fed) for pushing a lever
This causes the lever pushing to increase
In another study… rats were electrocuted until they pressed they lever
This increased lever pressing (negative reinforcement)

Question 25

What have commentators compared the Skinner box to?

Answer 25

-They’ve drawn parallels between the Skinner box and modern advertising and game design, citing their addictive qualities and systematised rewards

Question 26

Ping-pong pigeons research

Answer 26

-pigeons were positively reinforced for ‘winning’ the game
-this increased participation

Question 27

Superstitious pigeons research

Answer 27

-pigeons were rewarded (fed) at random times
-they started doing strange things (e.g. turning in circles, flapping their wings)
-they had been doing these things by chance when they were rewarded so they thought that these actions would result in food

Question 28

What is partial reinforcement?

Answer 28

This occurs when reinforcement is only given under a particular circumstance

Question 29

What is a fixed ratio schedule?

Answer 29

-reinforcement depends on a definite number of responses
-activity slows after reinforcement and then picks back up
e.g. a rat is given a food pellet after pressing a lever 10 times

Question 30

What is a variable ratio schedule?

Answer 30

-number of responses needed for reinforcement varies
-outcome- greatest activity of all schedules
e.g. a slot machine pays out after a random number of plays

Question 31

What is a fixed interval schedule?

Answer 31

-reinforcement depends on a fixed time
-outcome- activity increases deadline nears
e.g. a child

Question 32

What are the strengths of behaviourism?

Answer 32

-objective measurement, which can be replicated and peer reviewed
-real life application e.g. behaviour therapies
-clear predictions that can be scientifically tested
-increased our understanding of phobias and attachment

Question 33

What experimental support does behaviourism have?

Question 34

What are the weaknesses of behaviorism?

Answer 34

-ignores mediational processes
-reductionist- ignores biology
-deterministic- largely ignores free will
-experiments- low ecological validity
-humanism- can’t compare animals to humans
-freud- people aren’t born a blank slate