Behaviourism

Behaviourism

1. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

   • 1. A neutral stimulus (NS) is identified (a stimulus which the organism doesn't respond in a noticeable way
   • 2. NS presented just before another stimulus leading to a response. Called unconditioned response (UCS) and the response is an unconditioned response (UCR).
   • 3. NS becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) and the organism has become a conditioned response (CR).
   • Helps understand how people learn involuntary responses, especially those with physiological functioning or emotion
   • Associations - Advertisement e.g. happiest and a particular product, or nausea being associated to a food rather than light
   • Contingency between stimuli
   • Extinction when CR disappeared - Spontaneous Recovery when when CR comes back
   • Generalisation when the response occurs with other things that are not the CS

2. OPERANT CONDITIONING

   • THREE CONDITIONS REQUIRED: 1. The reinforcer must follow the response e.g. did the action to get the treat. 2. Ideally, the reinforcer should follow the response immediately e.g A dog performs behaviour immediately. 3. The reinforcer must be contingent on the response e.g Only giving threat for desired behaviour.
   • REINFORCERS: Primary - satisfies a built in, perhaps biology-based need or desire. Secondary (Aka Conditioned reinforcer) - A NS that has become reinforcing to a learner through repeated association with another reinforcer
   • POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT: Presenting something that will increase the likelihood of a behaviour. Presented after the response.
   • TYPES OF REINFORCERS: Material (object), Social (gesture or sign), Activity (perform an activity of interest), Token (use to eventually 'purchase' an object), Positive Feedback and Intrinsic.
   • NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT: Taking something away in order to increase a likelihood of a behaviour.
   • Superstitious Behaviour e.g wear a lucky top to an exam
   • Shaping, Chaining, Extinction

3. PUNISHMENT

   • Decreases the frequency of a response.
   • POSTIVE PUNISHMENT: Presentation of a stimulus in order to decrease the behaviour. Adding something e.g. Writing lines, failing grade, scolding, points on license are all being added.
   • NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT: Removing a stimulus in order to decrease the behaviour. Taking something away e.g A fine (taking away money), loss of privileges (grounding means taking away time with friends).
   • EFFECTIVE FORMS: Verbal, Restitution and Overcorrection, Time-out, In-house suspension and Response Cost.
   • INEFFECTIVE FORMS: Physical, Psychological, Extra Classwork, Out-of-school suspension and Missing Recess.

4. BASIC ASSUMPTIONS IN BEHAVIOURISM

   • Principles of learning should apply to different behaviours and animal species. EQUIPOTENTIALITY.
   • Learning processes can be studied most objectively when focus is on stimuli and responses.
   • Learning involves a behaviour change.
   • Organisms (humans) start as blank slates.
   • Learning is largely the result of environmental events
   • Black box - stimuli impinging on the box and responses emerging from it but with the things going on inside it remaining a mystery.

5. MOTIVATION