The Behaviourist Approach
Operant Conditioning
Classical Conditioning
Pavlov's Dogs
Skinner's Rats
OC Evaluation
CC Evaluation
SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY: the reappearance of a conditioned response after a rest period or a period of lessened response. If the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus are no longer attached, extinction will occur very quickly after spontaneous recovery.
Before conditioning: food (UCS) ---> salivation (UCR) tuning fork (NS) ---> no salivation (no conditioned response).
Has scientific credibility, lab experiments so controlled environment but could have artificial behaviour.
Explains voluntary behaviour.
A desirable consequence led to a behaviour being repeated.
Sees people as passive and machine-like in their learning with little conscious thought influencing their behaviour.
Explains reflex behaviour - stimulus causes a reflex response.
Learning occurs through association.
EXTINCTION: if the conditioned stimulus is continually pressed without the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned response will start to disappear e.g if Pavlov kept pressing the tuning fork without any food, the dog would no longer salivate when hearing the fork.
GENERALISATION: the application of the results from a study to a wider target population. Based on the assumption that findings from the original sample will be the same for everyone else in the target population.
During conditioning: tuning fork (NS) + food (UCS) ---> salivation (UCR)
After conditioning: tuning fork (CS) ---> salivation (CR)
Evidence shows classical conditioning can change behaviour in animals and humans (Pavlov's dogs and Little Albert). But animal studies cannot be generalised to humans due to differences in brain structure and Little Albert was only 1 person so findings cannot be generalised to a wider population - individual differences.
Practical applications - creation of aversion therapy to help treat people will addictive behaviours or bad habits.
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT: a desired behaviour is rewarded with something pleasant, the desired behaviour is likely to be repeated.
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT: something unpleasant is taken away because the desired behaviour is produced, increases likelihood of behaviour being repeated.
PUNISHMENT: something unpleasant is administered because someone has shown undesired behaviour.
Primary Reinforcer - innate reinforcing e.g. buzz after gambling, Secondary Reinforcer - not reinforcing alone but becomes associated with the primary reinforcer e.g. betting shop.
Behaviour is shaped and maintained by consequences.
When rats activated lever, it was rewarded with a food pellet.
If pressing the lever meant the animal would avoid an electric shock, the behaviour would also be repeated.
Real-life applications - can explain phobias and has helped to develop effective treatments like token economy.
Reductionist - explains complex behaviours in a simple form. Determinist - sees all behaviour is determined by previous conditioning and does not recognise free will.