Behaviourist Approach

What does Watson’s Behaviourist Manifesto (1913) explain?

Behaviour is a response to an environmental stimulus

Behaviourism is only concerned with observable stimulus-response behaviours

Behaviour can be studied in a systematic, objective way

What are the principles of classical conditioning?

Generalisation

Discrimination

Extinction

Spontaneous Recovery

Higher Order Conditioning

What is generalisation in regard to classical conditioning?

This occurs when a conditioned response is elicited by a stimulus that is similar to the conditioned stimulus.

What is discrimination in regard to classical conditioning?

This occurs when a person or animal learns to differentiate between similar conditioned stimuli and a conditioned response no longer occurs to a similar stimulus.

What is extinction in regard to classical conditioning?

When the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus, eventually the conditioned response will cease.

What is spontaneous recovery in regard to classical conditioning?

After extinction, it only takes a few pairings of the unconditioned stimulus and the conditioned stimulus for the conditioned response to reappear.

What is higher order conditioning in regard to classical conditioning?

This is also known as second order conditioning.

This occurs when a previously neutral stimulus elicits a conditioned response.

What are strengths of the behaviourist approach?

Scientific/objective

Practical applications e.g. therapies

What are limitations of the behaviourist approach?

Mechanistic view of behaviour - ignores cognition and free will

Ethics of animal experiments

Environmental determinism

Ethics of some therapeutic approaches to changing behaviour

Ignores biology - nature vs nuture

What animal did Pavlov use in his studies?

Dogs

What did Pavlov discover?

The dogs would start salivating at the sound of food steps, before even being presented with a food bowl.

What did Pavlov realise organisms had in terms of responses to their environment?

Unconditioned (unlearned) responses or reflexes

Conditioned (learned) responses

How does classical conditioning work?

An UCR (reflex) e.g. dog salivating for food is produced by the UCS e.g. food and paired with a NS e.g. a bell. After multiple pairings, the NS becomes a CS from associating it with the UCS that elicits an UCR e.g. dogs salivating at the sound of the bell - anticipation for food has been learned to be indicated by the sound of the bell.

How is behaviourism used in everyday life?

Behavioural / cognitive-behavioural therapies

Classroom settings

Informing research on environmental influences on human behaviour.

What did Watson and Raynor (1920) study?

They applied the principles of classical conditioning to an 11 months old baby - Little Albert.

How did Watson and Raynor condition Little Albert?

They used an UCS e.g. loud sound to produce an UCR e.g. fear and then paired this with the NS e.g. white rat which after multiple pairings became the CS e.g. Little Albert feared the white rat.

How did Little Albert generalise his conditioned fear?

He showed fear responses to any white fluffy things including a white beard.

What was Skinner theory on behaviour?

He said behaviour is motivated by the consequence we receive - reinforcements and punishments.

This is known as Operant Conditioning.

What is Skinner’s box?

A chamber where an animal has a button/lever. The box then delivers:

Positive Reinforcement - food is dispensed when the button is pushed.

Positive Punishment - administers electric shock when the button isn’t pushed.

How does operant conditioning work?

The organism learns to associate the behaviour with its consequence.

What does positive mean in operant conditioning?

Adding something

What does negative mean in operant conditioning?

Taking something away

What is reinforcement?

Increasing a behaviour

What is punishment?

Decreasing a behaviour

What is positive reinforcement?

Adding a desirable stimulus to increase a behaviour.

What is negative reinforcement?

Removing an undesirable stimulus to increase a behaviour.

What is positive punishment?

Adding an undesirable stimulus to decrease a behaviour.

What is negative punishment?

Removing an aversive stimulus to decrease a behaviour.