The behaviourist approach 2

The behaviourist approach 2

1. using conditioning techniques to control behaviour

   • PESTLE
     • vulnerable children benefit and are more likely to be accepted into society
     • frequent use of awards may lead to a society only motivated by intrinsic factors; more selfish
     • Levitt et al,2010- gains in performance when children in Chicago are offered financial incentives
       • benefits society as school leavers better educated
     • Gneezy et al, 2011- incentive programmes don't offer best return on investment
       • questions whether it is ethical to pay students when money could be better spent elsewhere
   • it is appropriate
     • at home
       • Supernanny found that the naughty step works best when parents only make a fuss when the child is well behaved, positive reinforcement
       • Gill 1998- children ended up performing 20% of chores when given pocket money or having it taken away
     • educations uses many operant conditioning techniques
     • at school
       • McAllister et al,1969- inappropriate talking decreased with the use of teacher praise and disaproval
       • LeFrancois,2000- classical conditioning with pleasant stimuli so students have positive feelings about the work environment
     • peers
       • avoid negative sanctions such as exclusion and increase positive sanctions such as praise
         • imitate the behaviours and actions of peers
     • vulnerable children
       • Lovaas 1987- 'applied behaviour analysis' to increase frequency and quality of social interactions for children with autism
         • rewards given
       • Robinson et al,1981- the use of token economies improves performance in reading of children with hyperactivity issues
         • given tokens for desirable behaviours to exchange
       • Chaney et al, 1981- funhaler is reinforcing and encourages children to medicate
   • it isn't apppropriate
     • at home
       • Morris,2014- the naughty step has long term emotional effect
         • children cannot reflect on their behaviour
       • parents may demonstrate frustration and inconsistency in application of conditioning techniques
     • in school
       • Lepper et al,1973- children promised a reward spent half as much time drawing as those who weren't
         • own motivation destroyed by the expectation of extrinsic rewards
       • may create a form of learned helplessness
         • Dweck 1975- those praised for doing well on a maths test did worse on a later one compared whith students who had been told they were lazy
       • Lewis 1995- Japanese students rarely given rewards but were internally driven
     • peers
       • Bricker et al 1987- children young as 10 more likely to try smoking if their peers smoked
         • the need for positive reinforcement not always healthy
     • vulnerable children
       • Lovaas treatment research contained many methodological flaws like not randomly allocating children
         • conclusions therefore not entirely valid
       • Anderson et al 1987- only 20hrs of treatment needed per week for improvement
         • there is a worry that undesirable behaviours may reemerge once the reinforcement has been removed

2. evaluation

   • strengths
     • scientific
       • concepts such as feelings are operationalised in terms of stimulus and response behaviours
       • evidence can be found to prove the success of therapies
         • causal conclusions
     • focus on here and now
       • only worried about current symptoms and trying to remove them
       • systematic desensitisation teaches a new stimulus response link between feared situation and relaxation
     • successful applications
       • classical conditioning principles applied in SD to treat phobias
       • operant conditioning is successful in education
         • positive reinforcement and punishment help shape good behaviour
   • weaknesses
     • nurture
       • behaviourists don't consider how genetic makeup could influence personality
       • external factors exaggerated - if learning was all that mattered then everyone could become a surgeon
       • behaviour also governed by motivation and innate abilities
     • determinist
       • doesn't consider the thought processes when we behave a certain way
       • undermines free will
       • people not able to be held responsible for any wrong doings or taught to think responsibly
     • more relevant to animals
       • Wolpe 1958- created phobia in cats when he administered electric shocks in a cage
         • learned anxiety response diminished when placing food near the cage
       • human anxiety may not always respond in the same way
       • Wolpe 1973 - recommended counselling for a married women whose husband's nickname was an insect instead of SD