Learning Approach: Behaviourism Flashcards
(7 cards)
The behaviourist approach
The behaviourist approach to learning studies changes in behaviour that are caused by a person’s direct experience of their environment.
What was the approach’s main assumptions?
1)The behaviourist approach is only interested in behaviour that is observed and measured. It is not concerned with mental processed in the mind.
2) Behavioural theorists claim that all behaviour is learned (behaviour in this case includes thoughts and emotions as well as actions). Behaviourists identified two important ways of learning; Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning.
3) Behaviourists try to maintain control and objectivity within their research and relied on lab experiments as the best way to achieve this.
4) Following Darwin, behaviourists suggested that the basic processes that govern learning are the same in all species. This meant that in in behaviourist research, animals could replace humans as experimental subjects.
Pavlov - Classical Conditioning
- Classical conditioning is learning through association.
- It was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov.
- Pavlov revealed that dogs could be conditioned to salivate to the sound of a bell if that sound was repeatedly presented at the same time as they were given food.
- Gradually, Pavlov’s dogs learned to associate the sound of the bell (a neutral stimulus) with the food (an unconditioned stimulus) and would produce the salivation response every time they heard the sound (a conditioned response).
- Thus, Pavlov was able to show how a bell can come to elicit salivation from a dog through association.
Skinner - Operant Conditioning
- To study operant conditioning in as scientific a way as possible, Skinner created an experimental tool called the ‘Skinner box’ that allowed complete control over the organism’s environment, the behaviours available to it and the reinforcement or punishment it would receive.
- Skinner investigated how the type of reinforcement or punishment given and the rate at which it was given affected the rate of learning.
- In a typical experiment, a rat or pigeon would be put into the Skinner box in which temperature, light and noise were kept constant.
- On the wall of the box, there would be a lever and a hopper that could deliver a food pellet to the animal once the lever was pressed.
- Initially, the rat or pigeon would’ve been wandering around the box aimlessly until it accidentally pressed the lever and received a food pellet.
- Skinner would leave the animal in the box and measure how frequently it pressed the lever overtime.
- The frequency should indicate the strength of the conditioning of the behaviour.
- This would be then repeated with other animals.
Skinner - Operant Conditioning - Reinforcement & Punishment
Positive reinforcement occurs when a behaviour (response) is followed by a favourable stimulus (commonly seen as pleasant) that increases the frequency of that behaviour. It is receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed; for example praise from a teacher for answering a question correctly.
Negative reinforcement occurs when a behaviour (response) is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus thereby increasing that behaviour’s frequency. In the Skinner’s box experiment, negative reinforcement can be a loud noise continuously sounding inside the box until it engages in the target behaviour, such as pressing a lever, upon which the loud noise is removed.
Punishment is an unpleasant consequence that causes a behaviour to occur with less frequency.
Strength
Point: One major strength of the behaviourist approach is its emphasis on scientific methods and objectivity.
Evidence: Behaviourists like Pavlov and Skinner conducted highly controlled laboratory experiments where they measured observable behaviour in response to specific stimuli. For instance, Pavlov measured dogs’ salivation as a direct, physical response to conditioned stimuli, and Skinner used operant conditioning to precisely monitor how reinforcement schedules affected the frequency of a behaviour. These kinds of studies are replicable and quantifiable, ensuring that the data collected is reliable and not influenced by subjective interpretation.
Justification: This methodological approach helped to establish psychology as a scientific discipline. By focusing on observable, measurable behaviour and rejecting introspection, which is favoured by approaches like the psychodynamic, behaviourism brought a level of scientific rigour that was previously lacking in psychological research.
Implication: Consequently, the behaviourist approach has significantly contributed to psychology’s development as a distinct scientific discipline. It also means that findings based on behaviourist research are seen as more credible and applicable in practical settings like mental health treatment.
Counterargument: However, the scientific strength of the behaviourist approach comes with an important limitation—it may oversimplify complex human behaviour by ignoring internal mental processes.
Evidence: By only studying observable behaviour and dismissing internal cognition, the behaviourist approach neglects important aspects of how we think, feel, and process information. For example, two individuals may respond differently to the same stimulus due to their beliefs, prior knowledge, or emotional state—factors not accounted for by behaviourism.
Justification: This limits the explanatory power of the approach. While it excels at identifying basic stimulus-response relationships, it cannot fully explain higher-order cognitive functions like decision-making, problem-solving, or language acquisition—all of which involve internal mental activity.
Implication: As a result, although the behaviourist approach may be methodologically rigorous, it may not be sufficient on its own to explain the full complexity of human behaviour.
Further point: The neglect of internal mental and emotional processes limits the practical applications of the behaviourist approach in certain real-world settings.
Evidence: For example, treatments based purely on behaviourist principles—such as systematic desensitisation for phobias—are effective for some conditions but may not address underlying cognitive or emotional causes. Disorders like depression or OCD, which often involve distorted thinking patterns and internal rumination, are unlikely to be fully resolved through behavioural conditioning alone. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which incorporates both behavioural and cognitive techniques, tends to be more effective in such cases.
Justification: This highlights that the behaviourist approach may be too narrow to be applied universally across different types of psychological problems. By overlooking the internal experiences of the individual, it fails to offer comprehensive treatment strategies for conditions influenced heavily by thought patterns and emotions.
Implication: As a result, the real-world usefulness of the behaviourist approach is somewhat restricted. While it offers strong solutions for behaviour modification and simple learning-based interventions, it lacks flexibility in addressing the more complex, internally driven aspects of human behaviour—reducing its relevance in areas like clinical psychology or education where understanding internal states is crucial.
Weakness
Point: The behaviourist approach is often criticised for being environmentally deterministic, assuming that behaviour is entirely moulded by external stimuli and past reinforcement.
Evidence: Studies such as Skinner’s operant‑conditioning research with rats and pigeons and Watson & Rayner’s conditioning of Little Albert, treat organisms as passive recipients of environmental forces. Behaviourists rarely consider innate influences (e.g., genes, evolutionary predispositions) or internal processes (e.g., expectations, self‑efficacy). For example, the theory of biological preparedness proposed by Seligman, revealed that some phobias, like arachnophobia, are acquired due to the evolutionary advantages it can have, rather than being formed through the process of conditioning.
Justification: This suggests that behaviour cannot be explained through learning or reinforcement history. Biological constraints make some associations easier to learn than others and cognitive factors can mediate the stimulus-response link. Ignoring such influences renders the behaviourist account overly simplistic and unable to capture cases such as why two individuals exposed to the same environment respond differently.
Implication: This limits the behaviourist approach as it downplays the role of biology and cognition. In applied settings, such as therapy or education, strictly behaviourist interventions may overlook crucial internal factors, leading to incomplete or short-lived outcomes compared to multi-component treatments, e.g., CBT that integrate cognitive and biological insights.
Counterargument: However, determinism can also be seen as a strength of the behaviourist approach, particularly within scientific research.
Evidence: By assuming that behaviour is the result of identifiable environmental stimuli and reinforcement history, the behaviourist approach enables researchers to make predictions and exert control over behavioural outcomes. For instance, principles of operant conditioning have been successfully applied to behaviour modification techniques, such as token economies in prisons and behaviour therapies for phobias.
Justification: This ability to predict and shape behaviour is highly valued in scientific psychology, as it enhances the reliability and replicability of research findings. It also allows the approach to be applied practically in real-world settings that benefit from structured behavioural control, such as education, mental health treatment, and correctional facilities.
Implication: Therefore, even though environmental determinism may limit our understanding of free will and internal processes, it increases the approach’s practical utility and scientific credibility. This reinforces the behaviourist approach’s contribution to applied psychology and its enduring relevance in behaviour management strategies.
