P1: Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
(11 cards)
Describe the Behaviourist Assumption of ‘The Blank Slate’
Behaviourist psychologists believe that when we are born, our mind is a tabula rasa (‘blank slate’ in latin) and all we have at birth is the capacity to learn. Therefore, the associations we make in early life and the reinforcement/punishments we receive determine our behaviour and responses later in life. This is known as environmental determinism.
Describe the Behaviourist Assumption of ‘Behaviour is Learnt Via Conditioning.’
Behaviourist Psychologists human behaviour is learn via the technique of conditioning. Two types of conditioning are Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning.
Classical Conditioning suggests we learn by association between a stimulus and a response. E.g. Pavlov accidentally discovered a conditioned response from his dogs. Pavlov presented his dogs with food (an Unconditioned Stimulus) which resulted in the dogs salivating (Unconditioned Response). Pavlov then introduced a bell (Neutral Stimulus) at the same time as presenting the food (Unconditioned Stimulus). Over time, the bell and the food became associated in the dogs’ minds until eventually, when Pavlov rang the bell (Conditioned Stimulus), it resulted in the dogs salivating (Conditioned Response).
Operant Conditioning suggests behaviour is learnt via positive/negative reinforcements/punishments. Positive reinforcement involves introducing a stimulus to make a behaviour more likely to be repeated (such as stickers for good behaviour), whereas negative reinforcements involve taking away a stimulus to make a behaviour more likely to be repeated (such as removal of chores). Positive punishment is the introduction of a stimulus to make a behaviour less likely to be repeated, whereas negative punishment is the removal of a stimulus to make a behaviour less likely to be repeated.
Describe the Behaviourist Assumption that “Humans Learn Like Animals.”
Behaviourist psychologists believe that the way in which humans and animals learn behaviour is fundamentally the same, the only difference between animals and humans is quantitative and regards structure such as brain size.
As a result, findings from animal studies can be generalised to predict human behaviour. For example, Pavlov used dogs to develop the concept of classical conditioning (used in both humans and animals).
Briefly describe how each assumption of the Behaviourist Approach can explain two human behaviours.
Firstly, the behavioural assumption of classical conditioning can be used to explain the development of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), if an individual were to develop a learnt association between an object and an obsessive response. For example, an individual may develop Contamination OCD if they touch a door handle (a previously neutral stimulus) and become ill (an unconditioned stimulus). Through repeated pairings, the door handle could become a conditioned stimulus, therefore resulting in a conditioned response of fear/anxiety surrounding this object. This fear may then generalise to similar objects (e.g., taps, public surfaces), leading to obsessive thoughts about contamination and the development of compulsive behaviours, such as excessive handwashing, which would temporarily alleviate anxiety.
Secondly, the behavioural assumption of operant conditioning can be used to explain aggressive behaviour in individuals if their behaviour was reinforced during childhood. Violent behaviour may have been positively reinforced if a child learnt that violence brought a desired stimulus (for example, if the child’s parents were to give them sweets or distractions in order to calm their aggression) causing them to wish to repeat that behaviour. Additionally, violent behaviour may also have been negatively reinforced if a child learnt that violence removed an unwanted stimulus (for example, if a child was bullied and fighting back caused the bullying to stop.)
Describe the Methodology and Procedure of Watson & Rayner’s study: “Little Albert”
Methodology: This investigation was a controlled observation, focusing on one male infant (9 months old) known as ‘Little Albert.’
Procedure:
- Albert was opportunity sampled from a hospital where his mother worked, he was observed to be an emotionally stable child.
- The investigation began by putting Little Albert through ‘emotional tests’ to establish an unconditioned fear response that Watson & Rayner could use in the observations. Albert was discovered to have an unconditioned fear of loud bangs, made by a steel bar being hit with a hammer behind his head.
The Sessions:
- Session 1 (11 months, 3 days old)
Watson & Rayner presented Albert with two combinations of the rat + bang.
- Session 2 (11 months, 10 days)
initial response to rat was checked, then five combinations of rat + bang.
- Session 3 (11 months, 15 days)
initial response to rat was checked. a control stimulus of wooden blocks was introduced. generalisability of phobia was checked, testing response towards other fluffy white stimuli.
- Session 4 (11 months, 20 days)
moved to a new environment, combination of rat + bang.
- Session 5 (11 months, 21 days)
initial response to rat checked, control stimulus used again, response to other fluffy stimuli checked.
Describe the Findings of Watson & Rayner’s study: “Little Albert”
Findings:
- Session 1 (11 months, 3 days old)
Didn’t cry at first, showed emotional response to second combination of rat + bang.
- Session 2 (11 months, 10 days)
Showed no initial reaction to rat. after 5x combinations of rat + bang, Albert was very emotionally distressed and crawling away.
- Session 3 (11 months, 15 days)
Showed fear towards rat, no response to wooden blocks, apprehension towards rabbit (one of the generalisation testers)
- Session 4 (11 months, 20 days)
Initial apprehension towards rat. after combination fear was stronger. no response to wooden blocks.
- Session 5 (11 months, 21 days)
Negative response to rat and other generalisation testers. no response to blocks.
Conclusions:
Phobias can be acquired through conditioning. Phobias can also be generalised.
Describe how the assumptions of the Behaviourist Approach can be applied to explain Systematic Desensitisation.
Describe the main components of Systematic Desensitisation.
Systematic Desensitisation (SD) involves three main stages:
Step 1: SD begins with teaching the client a range of relaxation techniques – these will be applied at each stage of the therapy - that will allow the client to establish a new stimulus-response link to the phobic object, e.g. a spider. This is known as reciprocal inhibition because the relaxation inhibits (prevents) the anxiety. Over time, the client will move from responding with fear to the stimulus to a more relaxed response. This is known as counter-conditioning.
Step 2: The client and the therapist then work together to construct a desensitisation hierarchy which is a series of different scenarios, each one provoking more anxiety than the next (eg. imagining a spider to being near a real spider). This therapy would traditionally have taken place using in-vivo desensitisation – this is where the client would confront the phobic stimulus in real life (eg. holding a spider). As our understanding has developed, in-vitro desensitisation has become more common – this is where the client is asked to ‘imagine’ the phobic stimulus (eg. Imagining the spider).
Step 3: The client and therapist gradually work their way through the desensitisation hierarchy from the least anxiety-provoking step to the most. At each stage, the client masters the relaxation techniques and must demonstrate a calm, relaxed response before moving up a step.
Systematic desensitisation is only complete when the process of counter-conditioning has been successful and the client is able to reach the top step of the desensitisation hierarchy. The client has unlearnt the phobic response to the stimulant and has replaced it with a learnt response of calm.
Evaluate the effectiveness of SD.
- SD has been theorised to only be suited to simple anxieties caused by specific phobias. Freud theorised that SD therapy only removes symptoms of the phobia, not the underlying cause. Therefore, SD shows limited efficiency for more complex anxiety, depression or personality disorders. Freud theorised that these symptoms may resurface in other forms (such as Mental illnesses) if not treated properly.
+ Gilroy et al. studied 42 patients who underwent SD as a treatment for their spider phobia over three, 45 minutes sessions. Results showed that at both 3 and 33 months they were less fearful and more in control of their phobia compared to the control group, who had not had any SD therapy - Therapy could be argued to lack ecological validity. Bernstein and Paul (1971) highlighted the potential problem of demand characteristics effecting a client’s progression. As the therapy aimed to decrease a client’s surface-level anxiety, some ptts. may alter their behaviour accordingly, potentially reducing anxiety to meet perceived expectations rather than as a result of genuine therapeutic change. Therefore, the client’s real-life experience of the phobia may not be minimised, decreasing the ecological validity of the therapy and arguing its ineffectiveness.
Evaluate the ethics of SD.
+ Client lead. Each stage of the desensitisation hierarchy (dh) is progressed through slowly, at a pace largely dictated by the client. Additionally, the DH is mainly built by the client, focusing on their individual anxieties towards the feared stimulus. Therefore, the clients is made to feel comfortable with each stage and attempts to avoid psychological distress.
- HOWEVER: the risk of psychological distress during exposure. While the process is gradual and client-lead, some clients may still experience overwhelming anxiety when faced with their feared stimuli. Especially in cases of clients with severe phobias or more complex mental disorders that contribute to the phobia (such as PTSD). Therefore, for the therapy to be completed ethically, therapists must carefully ensure the client feels supported, is not rushed and is aware of their right to stop the therapy at anytime.
