Behaviourist approach Flashcards
(17 cards)
Behaviourist approach intro
-As a learning theory, the behaviourist approach suggests that behaviour is learned through interaction with the environment
-Behaviourists reject the study of internal mental processes, viewing the mind as a “black box” as it is not directly observable
-Behaviourists argue that it is only possible to scientifically investigate what can be directly observed and measured, including what you do to a creature (stimulus) and the resulting behaviour (response)
Pavlov’s theory of classical conditioning
-Classical conditioning argues that an unconditioned stimulus (e.g salivating for food) can be triggered by a neutral stimulus (e.g the sound of footsteps) through repeated association/pairing
-Eventually, the neutral stimulus alone (now the conditioned stimulus) causes the unconditioned response (now the conditioned stimulus) for example the sound of footsteps alone causing salivation for food
Pavlov’s process
-Pavlov used 2 stimuli in his experiment; a neutral stimulus (often a metronome) which caused no response in the dogs, and an unconditioned stimulus of food which produced a natural salivary response in dogs
-Pavlov paired the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus by presenting the neutral stimulus just before the unconditioned stimulus was shown
-It was found that not only did the dog’s salivate when presented with the food, but they also produced a salivary response when the neutral stimulus was presented, even without the presence of food
-This indicates that the dogs learned to form an association between the neutral stimulus and food
Operant conditioning
-Operant conditioning is learning through reinforcement; actions that result in consequences that are rewarding are reinforced, and are more likely to be repeated, whereas actions that produce consequences that are punishing are less likely to be repeated
Skinner’s Procedure
-Skinner investigated operant conditioning with “Skinner’s box”
-A hungry rat with no prior training was placed into a cage with a lever and a dispenser
-As the rat explored the cage, it would press down on the lever, which released a food pellet; the food pellet would act as a reward, and the rat would learn that pulling on the lever led to a positive consequence, reinforcing lever-pulling behaviour and making it more common in the rats
-Skinner modified his skinner boxes to give the rats an unpleasant shock through the cage wires, this shock stopped when the rat pressed down on the lever, negatively reinforcing this behaviour as it led to the removal of an unpleasant stimulus
Positive reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is adding a pleasant stimulus to encourage a desired behaviour
negative reinforcement
-Negative reinforcement is removing an unpleasant stimulus to encourage behaviour
Positive punishment
-Positive punishment is adding an unpleasant stimulus to discourage behaviour
Negative punishment
-Negative punishment is removing a pleasant stimulus to discourage behaviour
Extinction
-If the reinforcing consequences are stopped, the person or animal will stop performing the behaviour
Behaviour shaping
-Animals can be taught to perform more and more complex behaviours
-First the animal is rewarded for simple behaviours, and then the animal is only rewarded for complex behaviours that are closer to the desired behaviour
Differences between classical conditioning and operant conditioning (voluntary or involuntary)
-Classical conditioning produces an involuntary response (not under conscious control of the organism) e.g Pavlov’s dog did not choose to salivate in response to the presentation of a neutral stimulus (metronome)
-However, operant conditioning is a voluntary response (under conscious control of the stimuli) e.g the rat is aware that there will be a certain consequence as a result of their action
Differences between classical conditioning and operant conditioning (acquisition or maintenance)
-Classical conditioning explains how responses to new stimuli are acquired e.g a phobia is developed when an individual associates the phobic object with a stimulus that naturally produces the fear response
-However, operant conditioning explains how a response to a stimuli is maintained over time e.g a phobia continues over a prolonged period of time
Positive evaluation of behaviourist research (Highly scientific + study objectively observable s-r mechanisms)
-An advantage of behaviourist research is that it is considered highly scientific as it studies objectively observable stimulus-response mechanisms
-They systematically manipulate variables in a controlled environment, allowing researchers to establish cause and effect relationships
-Additionally, the use of standardised procedures has allowed other researchers to replicate the findings of Pavlov’s and Skinners studies
Positive evaluation of behaviourist theories (practical application in counter conditioning and token economies)
-An advantage of behaviourist theories is that they have many practical applications; for example in successful counter conditioning treatments and token economies in prisons
-The effectiveness of these treatments in reducing maladaptive behaviour suggests that the underlying behaviourist principles that the treatments are based on must have some validity
Negative evaluation of behaviourist research (animal findings may not be generalisable to humans)
-However, behaviourist research has been criticised for it’s use of animal participants in experiments (e.g Pavlov and Skinner)
-These findings may therefore not be generalisable to humans, as humans are far more intelligent than animals, so explaining that human behaviour is a result of simple stimulus-response mechanisms is overly reductionist, and may not be a full explanation for human behaviour
overallll
-Mind as black box, can only scientifcally study what u can see
-Classical conditioning +Pavlov process
-Operant conditioning +Skinners box
-positive + negative reinforcement/punishment+ behaviour shaping+ extinction
Differences between classical and operant (voluntary) (acquisition)
