The Behaviourist Approach Flashcards
What does the behaviourist approach argue?
That all human behaviour can be explained in terms of learning through the environment.
What kind of behaviour does the approach focus on?
Observable and measurable behaviour in controlled laboratory conditions.
What is stimulus-response learning?
The idea that the same basic form of stimulus-response learning operates in shaping behaviour.
What two main forms of learning id investigated by behaviourists?
- Classical conditioning.
- Operant conditioning.
What is classical conditioning?
Learning by association.
Who conducted research into classical conditioning?
Ivan Pavlov (1927).
What did Pavlov achieve?
He conditioned dogs to salivate without the presence of food by using a bell.
What was the unconditioned stimulus in Pavlov’s study?
Food.
What was the unconditioned response in Pavlov’s study?
Salivation.
What was the neutral stimulus in Pavlov’s study?
The bell.
After teaching the dog to associate the bell with the food, what became the conditioned stimulus?
The bell.
After conditioning, what became the conditioned response?
Salivation.
What is operant conditioning?
Learning by reinforcement.
Who conducted research into operant conditioning?
B.F. Skinner (1953).
What did Skinner study?
He studied the consequences of behaviour on rats and pigeons.
What are the two consequences of behaviour in operant conditioning?
- Positive reinforcement.
- Negative reinforcement.
How did Skinner study positive reinforcement?
Every time a rat pressed a lever, it was rewarded with a food pellet, therefore the rat continued the behaviour. Once the pellets stopped, it would press the lever a few more times before abandoning it (extinction).
How did Skinner study negative reinforcement?
A rat would be conditioned to perform the same behaviour to avoid a mild but uncomfortable electric current beneath their feet.
What do both types of reinforcement do?
Increase the likelihood of behaviour being repeated.
What are the five evaluation points for the behaviourist approach?
\+ Scientific. \+ Practical applications. - Largely based on animal studies. - Reductionist. - Determinist.
