Behaviourist Apporach

Question 1

What is the behaviourist approach

Answer 1

The behaviourist approach argues that we are born a blank slate and we aren’t born with in-built metal content and all behaviours are learnt from interactions with the environment.

Behaviourists argued that we can only observe behaviours in a controlled lab setting and also the laws of learning are the same for humans ands animals

The behaviourist approach invloved classical and operant conditioning

Question 2

What is classical conditioning and study

Answer 2

This was demonstrated through plavlovs dogs, and argued that we learn through association

Before conditioning:
UCS —UR (food — salivation)

Before conditioning:
NS —NR (bel — no response)

During conditioning:
UCS + NS — UCR (food +bell — salivation)

After conditioning:
CS —CR (bell —salivation)

Question 3

What is operant conditioning

Answer 3

This was shown through skinner and his rats, ands argued that we learn through reinforcement and punishment, essentially we repeat a behaviour that has pleasant consequences and done repeat behaviours with a negative consequence.

Question 4

Operant conditioning study

Answer 4

1. Positive reinforcement — every time the rat pressed a lever, it received a food pellet. This means that they increase the behaviour of an award
2. Negative reinforcement— the animal got electric shocks and pressing the lever would stop the electric shocks. This is an example of increasing a behaviour to reduce something negative
3. Positive punishment — every time the rat pressed the lever it received an electric shock. Reducing a behaviour to reduce something negative
4. Negative punishment— this is a reduce of a behaviour due to something you like being taken away

Question 5

Strength evaluation

Answer 5

P- scientific
E- Pavlov and skinner used highly controlled anima research to demonstrate how conditioning influenced animal behaviour.
E- internal validity
HOWEVER - unnatural, behaviour might not be the same in a natural environment

P- real world applications
E- systematic desensitisation, therapies and other studies such as little Albert, use classical conditioning
E- used in real life and can increase the
Value of the approach

Question 6

Limitation evaluation

Answer 6

P- only focuses on nurture
E- Watson argued that if you shape a child’s environment enough then you can train them to be a lawyer, doctor, better or theif
E environmentally reductionist and there are many studies that show that genetics play a part in behaviours

P- they used animals
E- can we generalise the findings from animals used on humans as there is no guaranteed way that we would behave the same, as sometimes consequences that would work on animals wouldn’t work on humans.
E- generalising findings that shouldn’t be done