The Behviourist Approach Flashcards
(17 cards)
What is the main focus of the behaviourist approach?
Studying observable and measurable behaviour, not internal mental processes.
Why did early behaviourists reject introspection?
Because it involved vague, unmeasurable concepts and lacked objectivity.
How did behaviourists aim to ensure control and objectivity in their research?
By using controlled lab experiments.
What do behaviourists believe about how behaviour is learned?
All behaviour is learned from the environment; humans are born as a “blank slate.”
Why do behaviourists use animals in experiments?
They believe the basic learning processes are the same in all species.
What are the two types of learning identified by behaviourists?
Classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
What is classical conditioning?
Learning through association, demonstrated by Pavlov’s dogs salivating to a bell.
In Pavlov’s experiment, what were the neutral and conditioned stimuli?
The bell was the neutral stimulus that became the conditioned stimulus through association with food.
Who developed the theory of operant conditioning?
Skinner
What is positive reinforcement?
Receiving a reward for performing a certain behaviour, increasing its likelihood.
What is negative reinforcement?
Avoiding something unpleasant, which also increases the likelihood of repeating the behaviour.
What is punishment in operant conditioning?
An unpleasant consequence that decreases the likelihood of repeating the behaviour.
How do reinforcement and punishment affect behaviour?
Reinforcement increases the likelihood of behaviour being repeated; punishment decreases it.
strength (1) of behaviourism
One strength of the behaviourist approach is that it is based on well-controlled research.
Behaviourists focused on the measurement of observable behaviour within highly controlled lab settings. By breaking down behaviour into basic stimulus-response units, all other possible extraneous variables were removed, allowing cause-and-effect relationships to be established. For instance, Skinner was able to clearly demonstrate how reinforcement influenced an animal’s behaviour.
This suggests that behaviourist experiments have scientific credibility.
strength (2) of behaviourism
Another strength of the behaviourist approach is that the principles of conditioning have been applied to real-world behaviours and problems.
For example, operant conditioning is the basis of token economy systems that have been used successfully in institutions, such as prisons and psychiatric wards. These work by rewarding appropriate behaviour with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges. For an example of how classical conditioning has been applied to the treatment of phobias.
This increases the value of the behaviourist approach because it has widespread application.
limitation of behaviourism
One limitation of the behaviourist approach is that it sees all behaviour as conditioned by past conditioning experiences.
Skinner suggested that everything we do is the sum total of our reinforcement history. When something happens we may think 1 made the decision to do that but, according to Skinner, our past conditioning history determined the outcome. This ignores any possible influence that free will may have on behaviour (Skinner himself said that free will is an illusion).
This is an extreme position and ignores the influence of conscious decision-making processes on behaviour (as suggested by the cognitive approach).
