AIP: Behaviourist approach

Question 1

How is the behaviourist approach different to introspectrum?

Answer 1

It rejected the vagueness of introspection.

Instead, it focused on observable events and responses, and the conditions under which learning would be most likely to occur.

Question 2

What do behaviourists believe?

Answer 2

That much of human behaviour could be explained in terms of a basic form of learning known as conditioning, which involves the formation of learned associations between stimuli in the environment and the organism’s responses.

Question 3

What are the two influential forms of conditioning?

Answer 3

• Operant conditioning.
• Classical conditioning.

Question 4

Who researched classical conditioning?

Answer 4

Pavlov, 1927.

Question 5

What type of conditioning did Pavlov research?

Answer 5

Classical conditioning.

Question 6

Who researched operant conditioning?

Answer 6

Skinner, 1938.

Question 7

What type of conditioning did Skinner research?

Answer 7

Operant conditioning.

Question 8

What are all animals born with?

Answer 8

A number of natural reflexes.

Question 9

What are natural reflexes made of?

Answer 9

An unconditioned stimulus and an unconditioned response.

Question 10

What led Pavlov to begin his research into classical conditioning?

Answer 10

When investigating the salivary reflex of dogs, Pavlov noticed that the animals not only salivated when food was placed in their mouths, but also reacted to stimuli that coincided with the presentation of food, like the food bowl or the person who fed them.

This led him to explore the conditions under which this type of learning is most likely to occur.

Question 11

The natural stimulus in any reflex is referred to as what?

Answer 11

The unconditioned stimulus.

UCS.

Question 12

What is a unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 12

A natural stimulus in any reflex.

Question 13

The natural response to a natural stimulus is known as?

Answer 13

Unconditioned response.

UCR.

Question 14

What is an unconditioned response?

Answer 14

The natural response to a natural/unconditioned stimulus.

Question 15

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 15

Learning through association.

Question 16

In Pavlov’s experiment, what was the unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 16

The food.

Question 17

In Pavlov’s experiment, what is the food?

Answer 17

Unconditioned stimulus.

Question 18

In Pavlov’s experiment, what is the unconditioned response?

Answer 18

Salivation.

Question 19

In Pavlov’s experiment, what was the salivation?

Answer 19

The unconditioned response.

Question 20

In Pavlov’s experiment, what was the bell?

Answer 20

The neutral stimulus.

Question 21

In Pavlov’s experiment, what was the neutral stimulus?

Answer 21

The bell.

Question 22

In Pavlov’s experiment, what becomes the conditioned stimulus?

Answer 22

The bell.

Question 24

In Pavlov’s experiment, what does the bell become?

Answer 24

The conditioned stimulus.

Question 25

In Pavlov's experiment, what is the **conditioned response?**

Answer 25

The salivation.

Question 26

In Pavlov's experiment, what does the **salivation become?**

Answer 26

The condtioned response.

Question 27

What is a **neutral stimulus?**

Answer 27

An action that causes no response in an animal/human. *It is not naturally associated/related to a response.*

Question 28

Outline **Pavlov's experiment:** * Use these key terms:* * ​unconditioned stimulus.* * unconditioned response.* * neutral stimulus.* * conditioned stimulus.* * conditioned response.*

Answer 28

* Dogs are presented with food; this caused them to salivate. * The food was the *unconditioned stimulus* and the salivation was the *unconditioned response.* * Pavlov then sounded the bell (*neutral stimulus)* before presenting the food. * After a few pairings, the dog salivated when they heard the bell even when no food was given. * The bell had become the *conditioned stimulus* and the salivation had become the *conditioned response.*

Question 29

In Pavlov's experiment, what did the **dog learn**?

Answer 29

The dog had learnt to associate the bell with the food and so salivation was triggered by the sound of the bell.

Question 30

Add **labels** to this diagram of Pavlov's experiment:

Answer 30

Question 31

What are other **important features of classical conditioning,** that Pavlov discovered?

Answer 31

* **Timing:** if the NS cannot be used by the animal to predict the UCS (eg. if the bell ringing occurs after the food is given, or the time interval between the bell sounding and the food being given is too large) then conditioning does not occur. * **Extinction:** Pavlov discovered that, unlike the UCR, the CR does not become permanently established as a response- *after a few presentations of the CS (the bell) without the UCS (the food), the ability to produce the CR (salivation) is lost.* * **Spontaneous recovery:** Following extinction, if the CS and the UCS are paired together again, the link between them is made much more quickly. * **Stimulus generalisation:** Pavlov discovered that once an animal has been conditioned, they will also respond to other stimuli that are similar to the CS (*eg. things that sound like a bell).*

Question 32

What did **Skinner** argue?

Answer 32

That learning is an active process.

Question 33

What is the **basic theory** of **operant conditioning?**

Answer 33

That organisms spontaneously produce different behaviours, and these behaviours produce consequences for that organism. Whether or not an organism repeats a behaviour depends on the nature of these consequences.

Question 34

According to Skinner, what **determines** whether or not an organism repeats a particular behaviour?

Answer 34

The nature of the consequences of the behaviour. Whether the consequences are positive or negative.

Question 35

The **special cage** that Skinner developed was called what?

Answer 35

A 'Skinner Box'.

Question 36

What was the **main aim** of the Skinner Box experiment?

Answer 36

To investigate operant conditioning in rats.

Question 37

Outline the **Skinner's Box** in which positive reinforcement occurs: *What does this suggest about operant conditioning?*

Answer 37

* A hungry rat is placed in the box * The rat moves around the cage, and when it accidently presses the lever, a food pellet (*the reinforcer)* falls into the box. * The rat quickly learns to go straight to the lever after a few times of being placed in the box. * This suggests that positive reinforcement increases the liklihood of a behaviour being repeated.*

Question 38

Outline the Skinner's box experiment which uses **negative reinforcement:** ## Footnote *What does this suggest about operant conditioning?*

Answer 38

* A rat is placed in a cage, in which they are subjected to an uncomfortable electrical current. * As the rat moved around the cage, it hit a lever; this immediately switched off the current (*negative reinforcement)* * The rats quickly learnt to go straight to the lever after a few times of being put in the box. * This suggests that negative reinforcement increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated.*

Question 39

What is **reinforcement?**

Answer 39

Something in the environment that strengthens a particular behaviour and so makes it more likely to recur.

Question 40

What are the **two main types of reinforcement?**

Answer 40

Positive and negative.

Question 41

What do both types of **reinforcement have in common?**

Answer 41

Both make it more likely for a behaviour to occur. ## Footnote *But they do this in different ways.*

Question 42

What is **positive reinforcement?**

Answer 42

When behaviour produces a consequence that is satisfying or pleasant for the organism. ## Footnote *Eg. praise to a child after doing something good.*

Question 43

What is **negative reinforcement?**

Answer 43

Encouraging an organism to do something by removing something unpleasant once they have completed the action. ## Footnote *Eg. the shock being switched off, once the rat had pressed the lever.*

Question 44

What are **other important features of operant conditioning?**

Answer 44

* **Schedules of reinforcement:** although a continuous reinforcement schedule is most effective in establishing a behaviour (eg. reinforcing a rat every time it presses the lever), a partial reinforcement schedule is more effective at maintaining the response and avoiding extinction (eg. reinforcing the rat every third time it presses the lever). * **Punishment:** refers to the circumstance whereby a behaviour is followed by a consequence that is undesirable or unpleasant for the organism.

Question 45

What consequence does **punishment have on behaviour?**

Answer 45

Decreases the liklihood of a behaviour recurring.

Question 46

What are the **two types of punishment?**

Answer 46

Positive. Negative.

Question 47

What is **positive punishment?**

Answer 47

Adding something unpleasant as a consequence. ## Footnote *Such as slapping a naughty child.*

Question 48

What is **negative punishment?**

Answer 48

Taking away something pleasant. ## Footnote *Eg. removing the phone of a naughty child.*

Question 49

What are **two applications of behaviourism?**

Answer 49

* Behaviorism has increased our understanding of the causes of phobias and attachment. * It has also given rise to therapies such as systematic desensitisation and token economy.

Question 50

What are **positives of the behaviourist approach?**

Answer 50

* Classical conditioning can be applied to therapy * Operant conditioning is based on experimental work

Question 51

What are **limitations of the behaviourist approach?**

Answer 51

* Classical learning is only appropriate for some learning * Behaviourist approach has an over-reliance of non-human animals in research * Offers a limited perspective on behaviour