Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
(22 cards)
Who founded it and when?
J.B Watson in 1915
What is its belief?
- It rejects introspection and focuses on how we’re a product of our learning, experiences and environment
Who contributed to it and with what?
- Pavlov with his theory of Classical Conditioning
- Skinner with his theory of Operant Conditioning
What are some assumptions of the approach?
- When born, our minds are blank slates (Tabula Rasa)
- It can be carried out on humans as well as animals as there is little difference between the learning of them
- Behaviour is the result of a stimulus
What are the abbreviations?
- UCS
- UCR
- NS
- CR
- CS
What did Pavlov show in his conditioning experiments with his dogs?
He demonstrated the importance of association
What were the abbreviations with the dogs?
UCR = dogs salivating
UCS = food
NS = the bell
NS became the CS
UCR became the CR
The dogs natural behaviour became extinct
What did Pavlov show?
And what did that do?
- That learning can be investigated without using human participants
- It provided the laws for CC
What has Pavlov’s research into CC done?
It had provided therapies (SD and Flooding) for phobias and addictions
What did the Little Albert Experiment Investigate?
Who made the study?
- Whether an emotional response (fear) could be conditioned in a human
- Watson and Rayner
Explain the Little Albert experiment:
- He was 11 months old
- Watson and Rayner would place a white rat in front of him
- When he tried to reach for the rat, they would simultaneously strike a metal bar with a hammer to make a loud noise
What were the results of the Little Albert experiment?
When the rat was presented alone, Albert was now frightened and would try and get away from it
What are the abbreviations for the Little Albert experiment
UCR = fear
UCS = loud noise
NS = white rat
CS = white rat
CR = fear of the rat
What did Watson and Rayner show?
That Pavlov’s work can be applied to human behaviour
What is CC?
States that learning is the process of associating a stimulus with a response
What is OC?
Learning through consequences
of positive and negative reinforcement
What does Skinner’s positive reinforcement idea state?
That the likelihood of behaviour being repeated is higher due to a reward at the end (positive reinforcement)
Explain Skinner’s positive reinforcement experiment:
- Hungry rat was placed in a Skinner box
- Every time the rat moved, it would accidentally hit the lever
- A food pellet would then drop
- After being put into the box several times, the rat learned to go straight to the lever to receive the reward of food
What does Skinner’s negative reinforcement idea state?
- It is the avoidance of something unpleasant
- It increases repeated behaviour
Explain Skinner’s negative reinforcement experiment:
- A rat was placed in a Skinner box and was subject to electric shocks
- Every time the rat would move and accidentally touch the lever, the electric shocks would turn off
- After time, the rat learned to go straight to the lever
Strengths of the Behaviourist Approach?
- Scientific so theories are testable and supported by research
- Establishes cause and effect
- Reliable as its replicable
Weaknesses of the Behaviourist Approach?
- Experiments are based on animals so may not be relevant to human behaviour
- Its deterministic and doesn’t recognise free will as it sees all behaviours determined by previous conditioning
- Isn’t generalisable and lacks ecological validity as the experiments are done in highly controlled settings
