Behaviourist Approach: Thorndike+Locke

Behaviourist Approach: Thorndike+Locke

1. Learned from the environment

   • Behaviour is determined by reinforcement + punishment

2. Observable behaviour should be studied, not the mind

3. John Lock (1690) described the mind as a tabula rasa (we are born as a blank slate)

   • Behaviour is learned from experiences from the environment.
     • Can be shaped or manipulated

4. John Broadus Watson established behaviourism

   • Stated that the laws of learning in animals can be applied to humans.

5. Thorndike

   • Law of Effect
     • 'If behaviour is followed by a satisfying consequence, the behaviour is 'stamped in' and is more likely to be repeated in future and vice versa.
     • Based on his observations of cats trying to escape from a puzzle box.
       • 1. Cats were placed in a puzzle box+ the only means of escape was to press a latch
       • 2. At first, the cats took a long time to escape
       • 3.After experience, the ineffective behaviours occured less frequently and the positive behaviours (escape) occurred more.
       • 4. Concluded: 'They had learned to escape through trial and error'