learning approach Flashcards
(34 cards)
what is the behaviourist approach
The behaviourist approach is an approach to explaining behaviour which suggests that
all behaviour is acquired and maintained through classical and operant conditioning. (born as tabula rasa -blank space)
Hence, only behaviour which can be objectively measured and observed is studied.
-Rejects introspection
key theorists of the behavioural approach
The key theorists of the behaviorist approach include Pavlov,Skinner, and Watson.
what do behaviourists believe when it comes to research
the basic laws of learning are the same across both non-humans and humans. so, non-human animals can replace humans in behaviourist experimental research
what is classical conditioning
When a neutral stimulus is consistently paired with an unconditioned stimulus so that it eventually takes on the propertes of this stimulus and is able to produce a conditioned response
3 stages of classical conditioning
Before conditioning
During conditioning
After conditioning
what happens before conditioning
An UCS (like food) creates a reflex action like salivation. This action is called an unconditioned response
what happens during conditioning
UCS and NS are experienced close in time, this is called pairing. This effect is greatest when NS occurs just before UCS
what happens after conditioning
NS produces same response as UCS.
NS is now called Conditioned stimulus and the response called Conditioned response
what happens in extinction n how can it be a benefit
When the CS isn’t paired with the UCS for a while so the CS no longer produces the CR.
has survival value as ‘extinction’ may happen to make us forget a certain fear we have
what’s spontaneous recovery
An extinct response that appears randomly without an explanation causing the CS to create a CR.demonstrates that extinction doesn’t mean a learned response is completely unlearned, but rather that it’s suppressed,
what’s stimulus generalisation
when slight changes in the conditioned stimulus, such as different pitches of the bell used in Pavlov’s experiment, still produces the same conditioned response.
Define Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
Define Unconditioned Response (UCR)
Define Neutral stimulus (NS)
Define Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
Define COnditioned Response (CR)
Define Unconditioned stimulus -A stimulus that produces a response without any learning taking place
Define Unconditioned Response -An unlearned response to an unconditioned stimulus
Define Neutral stimulus -Does not produce target repsonse. It becomes conditioned stimulus after being paired with unconditioned stimulus.
Define Conditioned Stimulus -stimulus that produces target reponse after being paired with UCS
Define Conditioned Response -Response elicited by CS, i.e a new association has been learned so that the NS produces a CR
what’s an example of classical conditioning
pavlov
what’s pavlovs study
aim:To find out if a reflexive behaviour can be produced in new situations through learning.
iv:dogs natural reflex dv:no of drops of saliva the dogs produced
1.Before conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus (food) produced an unconditioned response (salivation).
2. During conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus was repeatedly paired with a neutral stimulus (a bell), to produce the same unconditioned response of salivation.
3. An association was made between the unconditioned stimulus and the neutral stimulus.
4. After conditioning, the neutral stimulus became the conditioned stimulus, producing the conditioned response of salivation.
5.Extinction was found when the CS, the bell, was presenetd without the UCS. The dog lost this response of salivating to the bell.
what did pavlov conclude
Link is likely to be made in the brain between a UCS and a NS that occurs just before the UCS. This was called signalisation.
classical conditioning strengths
real life application=Our understanding of CC has also led to the development of therapies which eliminate or reduce phobias through SD.
high internal validity=Pavlov implemented good controls to reduce the amount of extraneous variables that would affect the dogs.The dogs placed in a soundproof room so there’s no noise to distract the.tjis meant salivation was actually caused by the conditioned stimulus was actually due to the conditioning and not extraneous variables.
classical conditioning weaknesses/behaviourist approach
It raises ethical issues as it might not take free will into account of dogs and ethical guidelines being breached where The dogs were subjected to procedures that may have caused them stress, such as being restrained and exposed to repetitive stimuli.
Limitations of classical conditioning explanations- relationships between the CS and UCS tend to be more difficult to establish for some species than for others. Seligman(1970) suggested that animals are prepared to learn associations that are significant for survival rather than those that are not significant to survival.
As the study was conducted on dogs it cannot be generalised to humans.
human have a very differently structure brain to dogs and other animalsHumans have larger cerebral cortex than dogs which allows for more complex emotions like conscious choice.butttt. Watson and Rayner’s lil albert study proves that its possible for CC to work on humans.
what’s operant conditioning
A type of learning where behaviour is acquired and maintained based on its consequences. Reinforcement increases the likelihood of the observed behaviour being repeated, whilst punishment (an unpleasant consequence of behaviour) decreases this likelihood.
what’s positive and negative reinforcement
Positive reinforcement occurs when we carry out a behaviour to receive a reward e.g. completing homework to receive praise from a teacher.
negative reinforcement occurs when we carry out behaviour to avoid negative consequences e.g. completing homework to avoid being given a detention
how to test operant conditioning and mechanisms of reinforcement
in skinners box study-He found that when a rat placed in a special cage accidentally pressed a lever and was rewarded for this behaviour with food, it would press the lever consciously + learnt to repeat this action to inc their reward of food. cuz this behaviour became positively reinforced through gaining the reward. When the food pellet ceased to be given by the lever the rat would eventually stop pressing it as extinction of the behaviour occurred.Skinner experimented with this by providing unpleasant loud noises which the rat could switch off through the press of a lever. He found negative reinforcement also reinforced behaviour this way as rats would repeatedly press the lever to avoid unpleasant noises. He also found that when the lever led to punishments such as electric shocks being administered, they were less inclined to press it highlighting how punishment can stop a behaviour from occurring altogether. Aversive behaviours in humans are proposed to be negatively reinforced as we try to avoid unpleasant outcomes by engaging in particular behaviours while punishments cause some of our behaviours to cease completely.
what’s another way behaviour can be learned other than reinforcement
punishment-A way of stopping behaviour
Can be positive: adding unpleasant stimulas A way of stopping behaviour
Can be positive: adding unpleasant stimulas
like a slap
Negative: taking a way something desirable being grounded
strengths n weaknesses of operant conditioning n skinner
strength was it relied on the experimental method which allowed the use of controlled conditions through the skinner box. allowed causal relationships between 2 variables to be established as he could see how manipulation of the consequences of behaviour (IV) affected behaviour itself (DV). This also allowed accurate predictions on behaviour to be made too.
disadv= it has relied heavily on animals such as rats and pigeons. They are significantly different from humans and therefore the findings may lack external validity to real world situations for humans. This is because humans have free will and behaviour is not so easily determined by positive or negative reinforcement.
As it suggests that we do not have control over our own behaviour as we act merely on reinforcement which is deterministic. This raises ethical and legal issues especially if someone can argue they are not responsible for their own actions when committing crimes for example as they have no free will of their own which behavioural explanations discount completely.
a major weakness is it is difficult to generalise the findings to humans. This is because experiments such as skinner’s box are contrived and have no mundane realism when applied to daily scenarios humans face meaning we may not be able to draw the same conclusions outside the artificial setting of a laboratory.
strengths n weaknesses of behaviourist approach
+ behaviourist approach makes use of highly scientific research methods.Strictly-controlled conditions reduce and control for confounding effects and EV’s, inc the reliability and internal validity of findings (as these are more likely to be replicated when research is conducted under the same conditions). By focusing on behaviour which is observable and can be measured, the behaviourist approach increases the scientific credibility of psychology.
+ Real-Life Applications = An inc understanding of classical + operant conditioning led to the development of treatments and therapies for serious mental disorders. so, behaviourist principles have had positive impacts on the lives of many.
+ it assumes all behaviour is learnt n can simply be unlearnt. This has led to real world applications through the training of sleep behaviour in babies to even dogs and obedience training.
- Environmental determinism in the behaviorist approach argues all behaviours shaped by past reinforcement, so no room for free will. While this works for animal behavior, it doesn’t fully explain human behavior, which involves emotions, + and reasoning. Social learning theory accounts for these factors, making the behaviorist approach a limited explanation for human behavior.
- behaviourist research by modern standards, seen as unethical. Skinner’s box caused physical harm to rats, breaching the BPS ethical guideline of protection from harm. in pavlovs,The dogs were subjected to procedures that may have caused stress, such as being restrained and exposed to repetitive stimuli.Watson and Rayner’s classical conditioning experiments on Little Albert failed to protect him from psychological harm, n not offering him the opportunity to withdraw. However, a cost-benefit analysis may show that the benefit of increased understanding of the different types of learning (classical and operant conditioning) outweigh the ethical costs.
what is the social learning theory
Bandura’s social learning theory suggests learning occurs through classical and operant conditioning, and indirectly, through vicarious reinforcement. through the observation of other peoples actions (models) and the consequences they face, be they positive or negative.
