behaviourist approach

Question 1

what are the key assumptions

Answer 1

1. believe we are born ‘tabula rasa’, all our behaviour is learnt from our environment
2. believes only measurable and observable behaviour should be studied as it is objective
3. It is valid to study animals as we share same basic principles

Question 2

what is classical conditioning

Answer 2

learning through association

Question 3

explain cc using pavlovs dogs

Answer 3

unconditioned stimulus (food) produced an unconditioned response (salivating)
the unconditioned stimulus (food) is combined with neutral stimulus (bell ringing) to produce a conditioned stimulus (bell ringing) that now produces a conditioned response (salivating)

Question 4

cc time continuity

Answer 4

pavlov found the association only occurs if the neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus are paired together close in time

Question 5

cc extinction

Answer 5

if the conditioned stimulus is presented on its own without the ucs then the conditioning can be unlearned and becomes extinct

Question 6

what is operant conditioning

Answer 6

learning through reinforcements and punishments

Question 7

explain oc using skinner’s rats

Answer 7

Skinner used positive reinforcement (rewarding lever pressing with food) and negative reinforcement (removing an electric shock when the lever was pressed) to shape the rats’ behavior.

Question 8

evaluation- strength lab based

Answer 8

P- research was lab based
E- pavlov’s dogs and skinner box were both lab based and therefore were highly controlled.
E- This means that extrenuous variables do not have an effect on results, making the research more objective and reliable,
L- this therefore makes the research more scientific and credible

Question 9

strength prac apps

Answer 9

P- both CC and OC have practical applications as they are used to change behaviour for the better
E- training dogs/carrier pigeons to carry out tasks alongside treatments for phobias (CBT)
E- this is a strength because you can encourage desired actions and attitudes, as well as helping people overcome their phobias
L- this means they could return to work more productive and help to boost the economy.

Question 10

limitations animals

Answer 10

P- a weakness is that the approach uses animals
E- pavlov’s dogs skinner box
E- as we are different to animals there are extrapolation issues when applying the research to humans, meaning results may not be able to be generalised to humans. as well as this, some psychologists raise ethical concerns for the use of animals in research, as they believe animals shouldn’t be subjected to harm (eg skinner box) or exploited for human gain
L- Therefore the behaviourist approach can be seen as limited

Question 11

limitation reductionist

Answer 11

P- the approach can be seen as reductionist for focusing only on observable behaviours and not internal cognitive processes (like the cognitive approach)
E- the approach downplays biological innate factors