Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

WJEC Psychology > Component 1 - Behaviourist approach > Flashcards

Component 1 - Behaviourist approach Flashcards

1
Q

What does “tabula rasa” mean in the behaviourist approach?

A

“Blank slate” – the idea that we are born without mental content and learn all behaviour from the environment.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What do behaviourists believe influences our behaviour the most?

A

Environmental factors (nurture), not biological or genetic ones (nature).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is environmental determinism?

A

The belief that our behaviour is shaped and controlled by the environment we grow up in.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How is behaviour learned according to classical conditioning?

A

Through association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are the stages in Pavlov’s classical conditioning?

A

UCS → UCR

NS + UCS → UCR

CS → CR

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Define operant conditioning.

A

Learning through reinforcement (positive/negative) or punishment.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is positive reinforcement?

A

Adding something pleasant to increase a behaviour.
E.g. Giving food for pressing a lever.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is negative reinforcement?

A

Removing something unpleasant to increase behaviour.
E.g. Doing homework to avoid detention.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is punishment in operant conditioning?

A

Giving something unpleasant to reduce a behaviour.
E.g. A shock to stop lever pressing.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What do behaviourists believe about learning in animals and humans?

A

Learning happens in the same way, so animal studies can apply to human behaviour.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Give an example of classical conditioning applied to therapy.

A

Systematic desensitisation – pairing relaxation with a feared object to reduce anxiety.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

How is operant conditioning used in real life?

A

Token economies in prisons/schools – tokens for good behaviour, exchanged for rewards.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is the goal of systematic desensitisation?

A

To replace the fear response with relaxation (counterconditioning).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is reciprocal inhibition?

A

The idea that a person cannot feel anxious and relaxed at the same time.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is the desensitisation hierarchy?

A

A step-by-step list of feared situations from least to most anxiety-inducing.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What happens at each level of the hierarchy?

A

The client is exposed to the feared stimulus while staying relaxed.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

When can the client move up the hierarchy?

A

When they can remain relaxed at the current level.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is in vivo desensitisation?

A

Exposure to real-life feared objects or situations.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is in vitro desensitisation?

A

Imagining the feared object or situation instead of direct exposure.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is modelling in SD?

A

The client watches someone else calmly interact with the feared object.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is self-administered SD?

A

The client carries out the therapy independently, e.g. for social phobia.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Which type of phobia is SD most effective for?

A

Specific phobias (e.g., fear of flying, spiders).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What did Capafóns et al. (1998) find about SD?

A

Clients with a fear of flying showed reduced anxiety after treatment.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Why might SD be less effective for some phobias?

A

It’s not always effective for generalised or evolutionary (“ancient”) fears.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What is biological preparedness?
Humans are evolutionarily predisposed to fear ancient threats (e.g., snakes).
26
What does the concept of symptom substitution suggest?
Treating the symptom may not fix the root cause, so other symptoms may appear.
27
Why is SD considered more ethical than flooding?
It is gradual and the client controls the pace, reducing distress.
28
Why is informed consent usually not a problem in SD?
Clients are typically mentally healthy enough to understand and agree to the process.
29
What ethical concern might still exist in SD?
Mild anxiety may still be experienced during exposure.
30
Who was the participant in the Little Albert study?
A 9-month-old baby boy referred to as Albert B, later known as Little Albert.
31
What type of study was the Little Albert experiment?
A controlled observation – not a case study or true experiment.
32
What was the aim of the Little Albert study?
To test if a fear response could be conditioned by pairing a neutral object with a scary stimulus.
33
What was the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) in the study?
A loud noise made by striking a steel bar with a hammer.
34
What was the unconditioned response (UCR) from the loud noise?
A fear response – Albert startled, cried, and showed distress.
35
What was the neutral stimulus (NS) turned conditioned stimulus (CS)?
A white rat.
36
What was the conditioned response (CR)?
Fear of the white rat.
37
What happened in Session 1 of the study?
Rat was shown and the loud noise was made – conditioning began.
38
What happened in Session 2?
Tested if Albert feared the rat without the noise, then reinforced the fear with more pairings.
39
What did Session 3 test for?
Generalisation – whether Albert's fear spread to similar furry objects.
40
Which objects did Albert fear in Session 3?
Rabbit, dog, fur coat – but not Watson’s hair or building blocks.
41
What happened in Session 4?
Albert was taken to a new environment, fear response weakened, but came back after more conditioning.
42
What was tested in Session 5?
Effect of time – fear was still present after about a month, but weaker.
43
What did the study conclude about fear?
Fear can be learned quickly and generalised to similar things.
44
What did Watson & Rayner say about Freud’s theories?
They rejected Freudian ideas, saying fear could be conditioned, not due to unconscious trauma.
45
What type of setting was the Little Albert study conducted in?
A controlled lab setting (a dark room) to minimize extraneous variables.
46
Why was a baseline condition used in the study?
To show Albert was not naturally fearful before conditioning.
47
What was the purpose of the control condition with the building blocks?
To prove Albert's fear was specific to furry objects, not all objects.
48
Why were films used in the study?
To record Albert's behaviour so others could confirm the findings.
49
Why is the controlled nature of the study important?
It supports the idea that conditioning caused the fear, not other factors.
50
What is a limitation of the sample in the Little Albert study?
Only one baby was studied, so results can't be generalized.
51
What was notable about Albert’s temperament?
He was calm and even-tempered, possibly affecting the results.
52
What is the two-process theory of phobia development?
Stage 1: Fear is learned via classical conditioning; Stage 2: Fear is maintained via operant conditioning (avoidance = negative reinforcement).
53
Why can’t classical conditioning alone explain lasting phobias?
The fear fades if not reinforced—hence the need for operant conditioning.
54
What is negative reinforcement in the context of phobias?
Avoiding a feared object removes anxiety, which reinforces the behaviour.
55
What evidence shows that not all phobias come from conditioning?
Some people don’t develop phobias after trauma (Di Nardo et al., 1988); Some traumatic events may be forgotten (Ost, 1987).
56
What is biological preparedness (Seligman, 1970)?
Humans are genetically predisposed to fear ancient threats like snakes or heights.
57
Why is the Little Albert study considered unethical?
It involved creating fear in a young child, causing psychological harm.
58
How did the researchers respond to Albert's distress?
They paused testing for a week, showing they knew it was distressing.
59
How did the researchers interfere with Albert’s coping behaviour?
They removed his thumb from his mouth to stop him from self-soothing.
60
What happened when Albert left the hospital?
He was not deconditioned, so the fear might have lasted long-term.
61
What ethical step should the researchers have taken with Albert’s mother?
They should have fully informed her and ensured unconditioning took place.
62
What are some social benefits of conditioning techniques for children?
They help vulnerable children behave more 'normally', increasing their acceptance in society and chances of employment.
63
What is a key risk of overusing rewards in society?
People may become motivated only by extrinsic factors, reducing social cohesion and increasing selfishness.
64
What did Levitt et al. (2010) find about financial rewards in education?
Students in Chicago showed modest academic improvements when given financial incentives.
65
What was Gneezy et al.’s (2011) view on educational incentive programmes?
They argued such programmes may not provide the best return on investment.
66
How does Supernanny Jo Frost apply conditioning at home?
She uses the "naughty step" and encourages parents to give praise for good behaviour (positive reinforcement).
67
What did Gill (1998) conclude about pocket money and chores?
Positive reinforcement (payment) led to a 20% increase in completed household chores.
68
How does McAllister et al. (1969) support the use of praise in schools?
Teacher praise and disapproval reduced disruptive behaviour in classrooms.
69
What was LeFrançois’ (2000) suggestion for improving student behaviour?
Use pleasant stimuli (e.g., nice smells, laughter) to create a positive classroom environment.
70
What does ABA therapy (Lovaas, 1987) aim to treat?
It helps children with autism improve social skills and self-care through rewards and shaping.
71
How do token economies help children with ADHD? (Robinson et al., 1981)
They increase motivation and performance in tasks like reading and vocabulary.
72
What did Chaney et al. (2004) find about the Funhaler?
It made asthma treatment more enjoyable and improved medication use in children.
73
What is a key criticism of the naughty step? (Morris, 2014)
It may cause emotional harm, as children struggle to understand and express their feelings.
74
What problem did Dweck (1975) find with praising children too much?
Praised kids gave up more easily on harder tasks, showing reduced persistence.
75
What did Lepper et al. (1973) find about rewards and creativity?
Children promised rewards spent less time drawing than those not promised anything.
76
What cultural critique did Lewis (1995) make about reward systems?
Japanese schools rarely used rewards, but students were still internally motivated.
77
What did Bricker et al. (2006) find about peer influence?
Children were more likely to try smoking if peers smoked, showing peer conditioning.
78
What are two criticisms of the Lovaas method?
Methodological flaws (no random assignment) and high intensity (40 hours/week may not be necessary).
79
What is a major limitation of using reinforcement-based therapy?
It may only treat symptoms—undesirable behaviours might return once rewards stop.
80
What makes the behaviourist approach scientific?
It studies observable, measurable behaviours using experiments. Feelings and thoughts are replaced by stimulus-response patterns.
81
Why is a scientific method an advantage in psychology?
It provides evidence-based results, making treatments and findings more reliable than personal beliefs.
82
How does the behaviourist approach view past experiences?
It ignores the past and focuses on current behaviours and symptoms.
83
Give an example of behaviourist therapy that focuses on the present.
Aversion therapy – e.g., linking alcohol to nausea to stop drinking.
84
What is systematic desensitisation and how does it work?
It replaces fear responses with relaxation in phobia treatment, focusing only on symptom removal.
85
How has the behaviourist approach been applied in education?
Operant conditioning (rewards/punishments) helps shape student behaviour; Skinner’s teaching machine reinforced correct answers instantly.
86
Why is positive feedback important in Skinner’s teaching method?
It motivates learning more effectively than negative feedback by rewarding progress.
87
What is the behaviourist view on nature vs nurture?
It heavily emphasises nurture and ignores genetic or biological (nature) influences.
88
Why is the exclusive focus on learning problematic?
It overlooks motivation, emotion, and innate ability—learning alone doesn’t explain all behaviour.
89
What does it mean that the behaviourist approach is deterministic?
It claims we are controlled by our environment and don't make free choices.
90
Why is determinism a weakness in this approach?
It suggests people aren't responsible for their actions and reduces moral accountability.
91
Why is the use of animals in behaviourist research criticised?
Human behaviour is more complex; findings from animals don't always apply to humans.
92
Give an example where behaviourist therapy failed due to human complexity.
A woman’s insect phobia wasn’t cured with desensitisation because it symbolised marital problems.

WJEC Psychology (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions