Behaviourism strengths and limitations

Behaviourism strengths and limitations

1. Strengths

   • An empirical perspective which lends itself to scientific research
     • Use of scientific methods enhances psychology's credibility as a scientific discipline
       • Broadbent (1961): best method for rational advancement in psychology
   • Strong arguments for nuture side of nature-nurture debate
   • Practical applications and techniques: rewards in education, dog training, phobia treament
   • Can explain some aspects of behaviour
   • Classic learning theory has had a major influence on all branches of psychology
     • Methodological behaviourism: the view that all approaches use some behavioural concepts to explain behaviour
   • Using animals avoids ethical problems of experimenting on humans

2. Limitations

   • Ignores the mental processes involved in learning (unlike cognitive approach)
   • Rejects role of biological factors (i.e. nature) in human behaviour
   • People seen as passive learners at the mercy of their environment (unlike humanistic approach, where people are active agents able to determine and control their own development)
   • Neither approach to conditioning accounts for spontaneous behaviour in people
   • Use of animals and applying these findings to humans has been criticised as much human behaviour is influenced by higher level thinking
   • Pavlov argued that S-R process was automatic with no cognitive factors but later research has argued for the importance of predictability and the use of memory to predict whether or not an event will occur
   • Biological constraints on learning and biological preparedness, e.g. blue tits and milk bottles
   • Reductionism ignores complexity of human beings
   • Mechanistic as ignres consciousness, subjective experiences and emotions
   • Deterministic and the use of behaviourist principles to control the behaviour of others could be considered unethical
   • Social Learning Theory challenges the idea that all learning results from consequences by pointing out the importance of observation in learning