Behaviourist Approach Assumptions and Theories

Behaviourist Approach

Assumptions
1. 1 - Behaviour can be explained in terms of classical conditioning
  1. Learning through association
2. 2 - Behaviour can be explained in terms of operant conditioning
  1. Learning through reinforcement
  2. Skinner's Rats (1938)
    1. 1 - Rat pressing leaver resulted in rat receiving food (reward) - Increased frequency of pressing leaver
      1. 2 - Rat pressing leaver resulted in rat receiving an electric shock (punishment) - Decreased frequency of leaver
Social Learning Theory of Aggression
1. Albert Bandura
  1. He believed that we learn indirectly or vicariously - Observational learning
    1. Unlike Skinner who believed learning was the result of reinforcement
      1. Bandura also stated that children primarily learn aggressive behaviour through observation
        Bandura's Bobo Doll Study (1961)
Motivation for Aggression
1. Although the Bobo Doll study demonstrated observational learning, it doesn't tell us why the child may be motivated.
  1. A classic experiment by Bandura and Walters in 1963 fills this gap
    1. Their experiment demonstrates that children also learn about the consequences of aggressive behaviour by watching others be reinforced or punished
      1. This is called indirect or vicarious reinforcement

Resource summary

	Created by DontThinkTwice about 10 years ago