Behaviourism

Behaviourism

1. founder: JB Watson 1913

2. principles

   • 100% empirical. Rejected the vagueness of introspection
   • measured the behaviour of pps, did not rely on self-reporting or much qualitative data

3. beliefs

   • all behaviour is learned
     • a person is a product of their environment
       • all nurture no nature

4. Classical conditioning (CC)

   • Learning by asociation
     • Natural reflexes are made up of a stimulus and a response. No learning is involved. It’s a reflex
       • CC occurs when this stimulus is consistently associated with another stimulus so that eventually this other stimuli triggers the same response on its own
         • Learning has now occurred – the ppslearned to associate them.
   • Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) = a stimulus that elicits a reflex action from the pps
     • Unconditioned response (UCR) = a reflex action that is caused by a UCS
       • Neutral stimulus (NS) = a stimulus that elicits no or little reaction from the pps
         • Conditioned stimulus (cs)= an NS that has been associated with a UCS and elicits the original reflex
           • Conditioned response (CR) the reflex action in response to a CS
   • UCS = UCR
     • UCS + NS = UCR
       • CS (NS) = CR
   • examples/experiments
     • Watson and Rayner: the case of little Albert
       • little Albert is subjected to many different NS: a rabbit, a mask, a white rat etc. when the NS is paired with a UCS such as a loud bang it produces a UCR: fear. This is repeated until an association is made between the NS (white rat) and the UCS (the loud bang.) This results in conditioning. now the CS (rat) produces the CR (fear)
   • timing = The NS and UCS need to happen close together in time for learning to occur. Otherwise no association will be formed between the stimuli and the response.
     • Extinction = When the CR declines and disappears because the CS is repeatedly presented in the absence of the UCS.
       • spontanious recovery = When the CR reappears in a weakened form in response to the CS.
         • generalisation = When stimuli similar to the CS produce the CR

5. Operant conditioning (OC)

   • Learning through consequences
     • it is an active procsess of reward and punishment
   • one example of operant conditioning is the Skinner box. Skinner Box: A controlled environment Was able to manipulate the consequences of the rat’s behaviour e.g. Reward it with food for certain behaviours Punish it with electric shocks for other behaviours.
   • Reinforcement: Anything which has the effect of increasing the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated
     • positive reinforcement: If a behaviour has pleasant consequences, it increases the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated. E.g. food for the rat/pigeon. Giving a child sweets when they clean their room.
       • negative reinforcement: If a behaviour removes something unpleasant, it increases the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated. E.g. Aspirin to get rid of a headache.