BEHAVOURIST: assumptions, relationships, therapy Flashcards
Outline the assumption ‘humans are born like a blank slate’
- when we are born, our mind is like a ‘tabula rasa’ (blank slate). We are not born equipped with the ability to think and emotions/feelings have no influence on our behaviour
- what we learn through our interactions with the environment determines our behaviour - we are passive and have no concious thought about our behaviour - factors external to individual -> environmental determinism
EG
- Bandura (1963) demonstrated how children learn aggression through external, environmental factors. Bandura exposed children to aggressive and non-aggressive role models who either acted aggressively toward a bobo doll or non-aggressively
- those who observed aggressive behaviour behaved aggressively toward the doll and vice versa
- therefore behaviour is learnt by experiences and interactions
Outline the assumption ‘behaviour is learnt by conditioning’ p1
- classical conditioning: explains how we learn new behaviours through association. - - association made between previously unlearned response and a neutral stimulus. Eventually NS produced UR
US = UR then there’s a NS introduced that when paired with US becomes an UR. NS now a CS that caused a CR
EG
- Pavlovs dogs - observations of salivation in dogs. Dogs learnt to associate food with sound of bell and would salivate when hear ring
- learnt to anticipate food, introduce NS before feeding, soon connect the ticking (NS) with arrival of food and salivate to sound of ticking
—> conditioned reflex as result of CR to S
Outline the assumption ‘behaviour is learnt by conditioning’ p2
- operant conditioning: explains how new behaviour is learnt by reinforcement
- reinforcers increase the chance a behaviour will occur again, and can be +ve or -ve
- involves learning through consequence and is more voluntary than CC. Idea that when people are rewarded, they will repeat, and when punished, they will stop.
- +ve reinforcement - increase likelihood of behaviour occurring again as have been rewarded, -ve reinforcement increases likelihood of reoccurrence as want to avoid something unpleasant
EG
- skinner (1938) demonstrated animals can learn specific behaviours if positively reinforced
- used rats and taught them to press a lever using food pellets as a reward
- later learnt a red light indicated electric grid and so learnt to press lever to turn this off too
Outline the assumption ‘ humans and animals learn in similar ways ‘
- behaviourists believe that there are no differences in the way an animal learns and a human learns
- both are products of their environments and behaviour is related to stimulus-response relationships
- humans are more complex and main difference is cognition but otherwise essentially the same hence results generalised from animals to humans
EG
- principles of operant and classical conditioning used as a basis for many therapies. CC - phobias in systematic desensitisation and drug addiction in aversion therapy
- operant conditioning shapes behaviour in prisons and schools through use of token economy where desirable behaviour is reinforced with tokens
Explain why the behaviourist approach would view systematic desensitisation as an appropriate therapy
- one assumption of the behaviourist approach is that behaviour is learnt by conditioning
- two types: classical (learning through association) and operant (learning through consequence)
- classical conditioning occurs when an association is made between a previously unlearned response and a neutral stimulus. If the 2 are paired enough, the NS produces an UCR.
- pedant conditioning makes use of hr fact that if a behaviour is rewarded, it is repeated, and if it is punished it is stopped
- systematic desensitisation is based on classical conditioning as it aims to achieve a new stimulus response link that enables the patient to feel relaxed when they experience the CS
- this is counter conditioning and is based on the idea of reciprocal inhibition - people cant experience 2 opposite emotions at the same time
- therefore SD is appropriate as it uses rain piles on classical conditioning
Describe how an assumption from the behaviourist approach can be applied to the formation of a relationship
- behaviourists believe all behaviours are learned from experience and external factors influence the formation of romantic relationships
- both operant and classical conditioning can be used to explain formation of romantic relationships
- operant: likely to repeat any behaviour that lads to a desirable outcome. Ie - stimuli that produce positive feelings in us are rewarding so we may enter a relationship because that person creates positive feelings in us and it is therefore rewarding and likely to be reinforced
- classical: we associate pleasant people with pleasant experiences. Ie if we meet someone when we are in a positive mood, we are much more likely to like them as we have formed an association between that person and feeling good. Liking can lead to loving where relationship formation is concerned
Describe the main components of systematic desensitisation
- uses recipes of classical conditioning to achieve a new stimulus response link that enables the patient to feel relaxed when experiencing a CS that used to create a CR of fear. This is called counter conditioning as they unlearn the response, and is based on reciprocal inhibition (idea that you can’t experience 2 opposite emotions at the same time)
1: training in deep muscle relaxation techniques to help the patient establish a new stimulus-response link to the object of the phobia. Overtime the client will have learnt a new, more adaptive association to replace the maladaptive response
2: therapist and client work together to construct a hierarchy of fear known as a desensitisation hierarchy where each circumstance causes more anxiety than the previous
3: this is paired with the relaxation techniques to enable the patient to work through the hierarchy starting with the least fearful. Visualise situation until no longer causes stress due to relaxation techniques and reciprocal inhibition. They eventually reach top. - SD is complete when counter conditioning has been successful and client unlearns maladaptive response so that the CS now causes a CR of calmness
- in vivo: client confronts fear directly and learns to relax in presence of object
- in vitro: client imagines presence of feared stimulus
—> in vivo more effective
Evaluation, effectiveness: no side effects
- strength
- no side effects lie nausea, tremors, memory loss
- feelings of stress/nausea may arse when progressing up the hierarchy which may prevent a client from continuing till the end, therefore not be effective
- this can be said to be less harmful as not physical harm
—> has face validity
Evaluation, effectiveness: patient involvement
- strength
- patient involved and have an active part as client works with therapist to create the hierarchy
- have to apply the relaxation techniques to progress through the hierarchy
- in order for it to be defective, patient must be motivated and able to work with the therapist
—> has face validity
Evaluation, effectiveness: not appropriate for all phobias
- weakness
- would not be effective in treating generalised fears such as agoraphobia or ancient fears which humans are genetically programmed to learn, such as snakes which would have been dangerous in our evolutionary past
- these phobias are biological preparedness and extremely hard to counter condition
—> lacks application
Evaluation, effectiveness: may only be effective in dealing with symptoms
- may not work with some phobias and phobia may be tip of iceberg
- ie in Freuds case of Little Hans, it was suggested his phobia of horses was due to his intense envy of his father which was projected onto horses , and so he was only cured of his phobia when he accepted his feelings about his father - SD would not have been effective
- whilst SD solves a problem, if the cause is something else then it is likely another phobia would appear (symptoms substitution)
—> lacks application
Evaluation, effectiveness: SD found to be effective when problem is a learned one
- strength
- Capafons found with clients who had a fear of flying showed less physiological signs of fear when in a flight simulator after a 12-25 week treatment period
- Rothbaum et al (2000) use SD to treat phobia of flying. He compared Ps who received treatment against a control group that did not. Following SD, 93% agreed to take a trial flight and had lower levels of anxiety than the control group - 6mo after treatment
—> external validity
Evaluation, ethics: client comfort
- strength
- only progress through hierarchy when patient is ready
- more ethical than other behavioural treatments like flooding - client is rapidly exposed to most feared object therefore more anxiety producing
—> BPS guidelines of respect
Evaluation, ethics: valid consent
- strength
- clients able to provide valid consent as SD mainly treats phobias as opposed to to problems like schizophrenia and depression
- clients are therefore in touch with reality and healthy enough to understand what the therapy involves
—> BPS guidelines competency
Evaluation, ethics: free will
- strength
- attend therapy on free will and clients can stop at any time they want and have the RTW
—> BPS guidelines respect
