Behaviourist Approach Overall

Question 1

What are the 6 AO1 points you must know for the behaviourist approach overall?

Answer 1

-Assumption of Learning Through Experience
-Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)
-Operant Conditioning (Skinner)
- Use of Lab Experiments
-Focus on Observable Behaviour Only
- Use of Animals in Research

Question 2

What basic assumption does the behaviourist approach make about learning?

Answer 2

All behaviour is learned from the environment through conditioning. We are born as a blank slate (“tabula rasa”) with no built-in mental content.

Question 3

What is classical conditioning and who developed it?

Answer 3

Pavlov’s theory that learning occurs through association. Dogs learned to associate a bell (neutral stimulus) with food (unconditioned stimulus), producing salivation (conditioned response).

Question 4

What is operant conditioning and who proposed it?

Answer 4

Skinner’s theory that behaviour is shaped by consequences:
• Positive reinforcement: adding something pleasant
• Negative reinforcement: removing something unpleasant
• Punishment: decreases behaviour

Question 5

What research methods do behaviourists use and why?

Answer 5

Controlled laboratory experiments (e.g., Skinner Box) are used to study observable behaviour, ensuring high objectivity and replicability.

Question 6

What is the behaviourist view on internal mental processes?

Answer 6

Behaviourists reject introspection and focus only on observable, measurable behaviour, believing internal mental states are irrelevant.

Question 7

Why do behaviourists use animals in research?

Answer 7

Behaviourists assume basic learning processes are the same in all species, so animals like rats and dogs are used to study conditioning.