The Behaviourist Approach
Assumptions:
Behaviourist Approach - concerned with
how environmental factors (stimuli) affect • Interested in behaviour that can be observed +
observable behaviour (response) measured – lab studies
o Not concerned with mind – irrelevant
Classical Conditioning - learning through
• Watson rejected introspection – too vague/many
association, two stimuli are linked together
concepts
to produce a new learned response in a
• All behaviour is learned – basic processes are the
person or animal.
same for all species
Operant conditioning - the process of o A person is a product of its environment
learning through reinforcement and o Animals are used as experimental subjects
punishment • Two forms of learning = classical/operant
conditions
Classical Conditioning – Pavlov : Operant Conditioning – Skinner :
• Learning through association • Behaviour is shaped through consequences :
• Demonstrated how dogs could be o Positive reinforcement – receiving a
conditioned to salivate (unconditioned reward
response/UCR) at the sound of a o Negative reinforcement – avoiding
bell (neutral stimulus/NS) with the food something unpleasant
(unconditioned stimulus/UCS) – o Punishment – unpleasant consequence
sound was presented at the same time as • Rat cage – if it activated the lever, it would be
food. rewarded with a food pellet (desirable
o Showed how a neutral stimulus consequence – behaviour will be repeated), if it
(bell) can elicit a new learned was an electric shock, the rat would stop
response (conditioned response)
through association
Strengths Weaknesses
• Well controlled research + scientific credibility • May be oversimplified
o Lab studies, cause + effect relationships o Breaking behaviour down risks ignoring
established by breaking down behaviour influences on learning
into basic stimulus o Learning may be more complex than just
• Real – world application behaviour
o Operant conditioning is used in • Environmental Determinism
institutions + classical conditioning is o environment controls behaviour and
used to treat phobias consequently human cultures and
societies
o Skinner believed our behaviour is the sum
of our reinforcement history – ignores
influence of free will on behaviour
o Ignores influence of conscious decision
making processes on behaviour
, Social Learning Theory (SLT)
Assumptions + Albert Bandura:
SLT - Learning through observation and
imitation • Classical/operant conditioning ignores inner person
(cognition is important)
Vicarious Reinforcement – reinforcement • Need a more complex explanation for behaviour
not directed at you but observed • Observation is more powerful than conditioning
• Identification - Many are more likely to imitate people
Vicarious learning – watching others
whom they identify with
getting punished / rewarded for behaviour
o The process of imitating is modelling
and imitating it based on the consequences
A Bandura’s Research :
4 criteria needs to be met for imitation to
occur: R Divided 66 kids into 3 groups, all watched an
adult beat a Bobo doll – 3 conditions :
M
1) Adult rewarded
M 2) Adult told off
3) Adult not rewards / punished
Then the kids were allowed to play with the
doll whilst experimenters saw.
Findings :
1) Children became more aggressive
2) Some less aggressive
- children are able to learn social behaviour (e.g. aggression) through the process of observation
learning, through watching the behaviour of another person especially when there is a reward/
consequence
-
Strengths Weaknesses
• Recognises cognitive factors in learning • Little reference to influence of biological factors
o SLT provides a more comprehensible o Observational learning may be a result
explanation of human learning by of mirror neurons
recognising the role of mediational • Evidence based on lab experiments
processes o May be influenced by demand
• Explains cultural differences in behaviour characteristics - artificial
o Cultural norms are transmitted from
other societies
• Explains influence on media
• Controlled environment – lab studies
Assumptions:
Behaviourist Approach - concerned with
how environmental factors (stimuli) affect • Interested in behaviour that can be observed +
observable behaviour (response) measured – lab studies
o Not concerned with mind – irrelevant
Classical Conditioning - learning through
• Watson rejected introspection – too vague/many
association, two stimuli are linked together
concepts
to produce a new learned response in a
• All behaviour is learned – basic processes are the
person or animal.
same for all species
Operant conditioning - the process of o A person is a product of its environment
learning through reinforcement and o Animals are used as experimental subjects
punishment • Two forms of learning = classical/operant
conditions
Classical Conditioning – Pavlov : Operant Conditioning – Skinner :
• Learning through association • Behaviour is shaped through consequences :
• Demonstrated how dogs could be o Positive reinforcement – receiving a
conditioned to salivate (unconditioned reward
response/UCR) at the sound of a o Negative reinforcement – avoiding
bell (neutral stimulus/NS) with the food something unpleasant
(unconditioned stimulus/UCS) – o Punishment – unpleasant consequence
sound was presented at the same time as • Rat cage – if it activated the lever, it would be
food. rewarded with a food pellet (desirable
o Showed how a neutral stimulus consequence – behaviour will be repeated), if it
(bell) can elicit a new learned was an electric shock, the rat would stop
response (conditioned response)
through association
Strengths Weaknesses
• Well controlled research + scientific credibility • May be oversimplified
o Lab studies, cause + effect relationships o Breaking behaviour down risks ignoring
established by breaking down behaviour influences on learning
into basic stimulus o Learning may be more complex than just
• Real – world application behaviour
o Operant conditioning is used in • Environmental Determinism
institutions + classical conditioning is o environment controls behaviour and
used to treat phobias consequently human cultures and
societies
o Skinner believed our behaviour is the sum
of our reinforcement history – ignores
influence of free will on behaviour
o Ignores influence of conscious decision
making processes on behaviour
, Social Learning Theory (SLT)
Assumptions + Albert Bandura:
SLT - Learning through observation and
imitation • Classical/operant conditioning ignores inner person
(cognition is important)
Vicarious Reinforcement – reinforcement • Need a more complex explanation for behaviour
not directed at you but observed • Observation is more powerful than conditioning
• Identification - Many are more likely to imitate people
Vicarious learning – watching others
whom they identify with
getting punished / rewarded for behaviour
o The process of imitating is modelling
and imitating it based on the consequences
A Bandura’s Research :
4 criteria needs to be met for imitation to
occur: R Divided 66 kids into 3 groups, all watched an
adult beat a Bobo doll – 3 conditions :
M
1) Adult rewarded
M 2) Adult told off
3) Adult not rewards / punished
Then the kids were allowed to play with the
doll whilst experimenters saw.
Findings :
1) Children became more aggressive
2) Some less aggressive
- children are able to learn social behaviour (e.g. aggression) through the process of observation
learning, through watching the behaviour of another person especially when there is a reward/
consequence
-
Strengths Weaknesses
• Recognises cognitive factors in learning • Little reference to influence of biological factors
o SLT provides a more comprehensible o Observational learning may be a result
explanation of human learning by of mirror neurons
recognising the role of mediational • Evidence based on lab experiments
processes o May be influenced by demand
• Explains cultural differences in behaviour characteristics - artificial
o Cultural norms are transmitted from
other societies
• Explains influence on media
• Controlled environment – lab studies
