Behaviourism - Conditioning

Behaviourism - Conditioning

1. Basic assumptions

   • Nearly all behaviour is learnt - Assumes that most behaviours, except a few born reflexes/instincts ie. blinking when dust gets in your eyes, is learnt rather than what we're born with.
   • The 'mind' is irrelevant - Behaviourists rejected the vagueness of introspection as they believe you cannot measure a person's thinking instead you should obtain measurable data by observing/studying behaviour.
   • Assumed that majority of behaviour can be identified through learned experiences known as conditioning.
   • Humans and animals learn in the same way - The belief that animals and humans both use the stimulus-response associations between stimuli and our actions. This means animals can be used as research subjects what is true for them should be what is true for humans.
     • Animals have practical advantages as they're mostly unaware they're being studied so act naturally and procedures can be used with them that would be considered illegal for humans ie. giving them electric shocks as punishment when studying learning.

2. Classical conditioning

   • The process of learning through association of stimuli to produce a conditioned response.
   • Before conditioning: Neutral stimulus NS (Bell) = Neutral response NR (No response)
   • During conditioning: Neutral stimulus NS (Bell) + Unconditioned response UCR (Food) = Unconditioned response (Salivation)
   • After conditioning: Conditioned stimulus CS (Bell) = Conditioned response CR (Salivation)
   • Pavlov's dogs - Pavlov realised that dogs would sometimes salivate before they got food therefore they must associate food with another stimulus, such as the door opening, rather than being 'just hungry'
     • He created an experiment whereby when he gave his dogs some food, he'd ring a bell. After repeating this procedure several times he then tried ringing the bell without giving the dogs any food. The bell caused salivation. The bell had become an conditioned stimulus which produced the salivation which was a conditioned response.

3. Operant conditioning

   • The process of learning through reinforcing behaviour through positive and negative reinforcement, and punishment.
   • Positive reinforcement: When something desirable is obtained in response to desired behaviour.
     • Example - Given praise after doing good work reinforced the good behaviour.
   • Negative reinforcement: Removing something unpleasant in response to desired behaviour.
     • Example - Getting told by a teacher that you won't have any extra homework if you pass the test. This reinforces good behaviour.
   • Punishment: Receiving something unpleasant in response to bad/undesired behaviour.
   • Example - Getting a detention when not doing work tries to deter the student from carrying out undesired behaviour.
   • Skinner's rats - A rat is placed in a box to explore. At some point, by accident, the rat will press the lever in the box which releases a pellet of food. The rat then learns that pressing the lever will get them food and so press it more frequently (Positive reinforcement).
     • The box was also contained a floor that could give an electric shock. Skinner decreased lever pushing by electifying the floor whenever the lever was pressed (Punishment).
   • Skinner also experimented with playing a loud noise in the box which stopped when the lever was pressed. This resulted in more frequent lever pressing (Negative reinforcement).

4. Strengths

   • It has been applied to phobic situations to explain how phobias occur and ways of treating them.
   • There is research to support the theories (Skinner's box, Pavlov's dogs)

5. Weaknesses

   • Much of the research is animal based - not generalisable to humans as we're more complex than most animals.
   • Lots of research into learning in animals may be seen as unethical - Researchers now have to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of whether it's acceptable to use animals, and they must ensure the animal is well looked after.