Behaviourist approach

Question 1

Assumptions of the behaviourist approach

Answer 1

• Humans are born a blank slate
• Only focused on behaviour that can be observed and measured
• Behaviour is learnt through the environment

Question 2

Who proposed CC and what is it?

Answer 2

Pavlov
Learning through association between a neutral stimulus and innate unconditional stimulus.​

Question 3

Who proposed OC and what is it?

Answer 3

Skinner ​
A form of learning in which behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences. ​

Question 4

What are the consequences?

Answer 4

Positive reinforcement ​

Negative reinforcement​

Punishment

Question 5

What’s the difference between negative and positive reinforcement?

Answer 5

Positive reinforcement is increasing the likelihood of repeating a behaviour to receive an reward.

Negative reinforcement is increasing the likelihood of repeating a behaviour to avoid a negative consequence.

Question 6

What is punishment?

Answer 6

Punishment decreases the likelihood that behaviour will be repeated.

Question 7

How did Pavlov conduct his research?

Answer 7

Teaching dogs to associate food with the sound of a bell to produce the response of salivation.
UCS - Food
UCR - Salivating
NS - Bell
UCS + CS = CR
CS - Bell
CR - Salivation

Question 8

How did Skinner conduct his research?

Answer 8

Every time the rat activates a lever within the box it was rewarded with a food pellet. From then on the animal would continue to perform the behaviour​

Skinner also showed how rats could be conditioned to perform the same behaviour to avoid an unpleasant stimulus for example an electric shock.

Question 9

AO3
Strength - Scientific credibility

Answer 9

E: Pavlov’s lab experiment to show classical conditioning being used to make a dog salivate to the sound of a bell. ​

E: based on empirical evidence carried by controlled experiments - were replicable and the data obtained was objective and measurable - gave psychology more credibility.​

Question 10

AO3
Strength - Research to support

Answer 10

E: Little Albert - (explain research) - associated white rats with a loud banging noise

E: showed that classical conditioning could be used to create a phobia - Phobias are due to associating a NS which does not produce a fear response with an UCS which naturally produces a fear response - This will cause a CS which produces a CR of fear and anxiety. Thereby showing that behaviour is learnt though association

Question 11

AO3
Strength - Real life application

Answer 11

E: Treat phobias - systematic desensitisation

E: shows phobias can be overcome by replacing the negative association of the phobic stimulus with more positive ones such as calmness - proves that behaviour is learnt due to an association.

Question 12

AO3
Limitation - Reductionist

Answer 12

E: suggests that all behaviour is learnt from the environment - supports the influence of nurture. ​

E: limiting to describe behaviour solely in terms of either nature or nurture - underestimates complexity of human behaviour - more likely that behaviour is due to an interaction between nature and nurture
e.g addiction could be due to a genetic vulnerability that is triggered by a stressor from the environment. ​

Question 13

AO3
Limitation - Deterministic

Answer 13

E: They believe that behaviour is predetermined by features of the environment such as systems of reward and punishment, that we cannot control. ​

e.g gender is controlled by interactions with parents - they reward us for demonstrating gender appropriate behaviour like girls playing with make up - leads to the behaviour being reinforced - girls develop a stereotypical female gender identity. ​

E: ignores the influence of free will in the explanation of human behaviour - theory is incomplete.