The Behaviourist Approach

The Behaviourist Approach

1. Behaviourists

   • People who believe that human behaviour can be explained in terms of conditioning, without the need to consider thoughts or feelings.

2. Classical conditioning

   • Before Conditioning Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) > Unconditioned Response (UCR) Neutral Stimulus (NS) > No Response
     • During Conditioning UCS + NS > UCR
       • After Conditioning Conditioned Stimulus (CS) > Conditioned Response (CR)
   • In 1927 Pavlov is credited with discovering the process of Classical Conditioning. He was investigating the salivary reflex of dogs when he noticed that they did not only salivate when the food was present but also when the food bowl or the person who fed them was present.
   • Other important features
     • Timing - if the NS cannot be used to predict the UCS the conditioning does not take place
     • Extinction - Pavlov discovered that the CR does not become a permanent response. After a few presentations of the CS without the UCS it loses its ability to produce a CR.
     • Spontaneous recovery - following extinction if the CS and the UCS are then paired together again the link is made quicker than before.
     • Stimulus generalisation - Pavlov discovered that once an animal has been conditioned, they will also respond to other stimuli that are that are similar to the CS.
   • Strengths and Limitations
     • Led to the development of treatments for the reduction of anxiety associated with various phobias.
     • Relationships between the CS and Ucs tend to be more difficult to establish in some species than others due to capabilities to learn through classical conditioning.
   • When a neutral stimulus is consistently paired with an unconditioned stimulus so that it eventually takes on the properties of this stimulus and is able to produce a conditioned response.

3. Operant conditioning

   • Skinner developed the ‘Skinner box’ in order to investigate operant conditioning in rats. It involved the rat pushing a lever for food pellets. It also showed extinction.
   • Learning through reinforcement or punishment. If a behaviour is followed by a desirable consequence the that behaviour is more likely to occur again in the future.
   • Punishment
     • Involves the application of an unpleasant consequence following a behaviour, with the the result that the behaviour is less likely to occur again in the future.
   • Reinforcement
     • A term used in psychology to refer to anything that strengthens a response and increases the likelihood that it will occur again in the future.
     • Positive
       • Adding something pleasant or satisfying.
     • Negative
       • Removing something unpleasant.
   • Other important features
     • Schedules of reinforcement - Continuous reinforcement schedule (eg. reinforcing a rat every time it presses a lever ) - most effective establishing particular response. Partial reinforcement schedule (eg reinforcing every third lever press or every 10 mins) - more effective maintaining response and avoiding extinction.
   • Strengths and Limitations
     • Skinner’s reliance on experimental method means he was accurate
     • Non-human experiment so not able to generalise to human population.