Approaches Flashcards
(48 cards)
What is classical conditioning?
A learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response.
Who developed classical conditioning and through what study?
Ivan Pavlov; he studied how dogs learned to salivate at the sound of a metronome after it was repeatedly paired with food.
What is a neutral stimulus (NS)?
A stimulus that initially produces no specific response.
What is an unconditioned stimulus (UCS)?
A stimulus that naturally produces a reflexive response (e.g., food causing salivation).
What is a conditioned stimulus (CS)?
A previously neutral stimulus that now triggers a response due to association with the UCS.
What is a conditioned response (CR)?
A learned response to the previously neutral stimulus (e.g., salivation at the metronome).
What is operant conditioning?
Learning through consequences — behaviours are strengthened by reinforcement or weakened by punishment.
What was Skinner’s research?
He used the “Skinner box” with rats and pigeons to show how behaviour is shaped by rewards (food) and punishments (shock).
What is positive reinforcement?
Adding a pleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behaviour (e.g., giving food).
What is negative reinforcement?
Removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase behaviour (e.g., stopping a shock when a lever is pressed).
What is punishment?
A consequence that reduces the likelihood of a behaviour — can be positive (adding something unpleasant) or negative (taking away something pleasant).
What is extinction in operant conditioning?
When reinforcement stops, the learned behaviour fades or disappears.
What is behaviour shaping?
Training complex behaviour by reinforcing successive approximations toward the desired behaviour.
What are stimulus-response mechanisms?
Behaviourists focus on what can be observed — the stimulus and the response — ignoring internal mental processes.
What is environmental determinism in behaviourism?
The belief that all behaviour is the result of experience and can be predicted/controlled by manipulating the environment.
Why do behaviourists reject internal mental processes?
Because they cannot be directly observed or measured, so are seen as unscientific.
What is one strength of the behaviourist approach?
It’s scientific — it uses objective, observable, and replicable methods to establish cause and effect.
What is a limitation related to generalisability?
Many behaviourist studies were on animals, which may not apply to human behaviour due to differences in complexity.
What is a practical strength of the behaviourist approach?
It has real-world applications like systematic desensitisation, token economies, and classroom behaviour management.
What ethical concerns are raised?
Behaviour modification based on animal studies may be manipulative and unethical in human applications.
What is meant by reductionism in this context?
Behaviourism is criticised for oversimplifying complex human behaviours into stimulus-response patterns, ignoring other factors like emotion or cognition.
What is classical conditioning?
A learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response.
Who developed classical conditioning and through what study?
Ivan Pavlov; he studied how dogs learned to salivate at the sound of a metronome after it was repeatedly paired with food.
What is a neutral stimulus (NS)?
A stimulus that initially produces no specific response.
