Behaviourist Approach
What are the differences between each approach?
They each vary in a number of ways…
Underlying assumptions about behaviour
Each approach has a set of assumptions that are taken for granted about behaviour.
For example;
The behaviourist approach assumes that all behaviour is learnt.
The psychodynamic approach assumes that all behaviour has an unconscious cause.
What is deemed the appropriate subject matter for psychology
Approaches differ as to which areas of behaviour are considered suitable for study.
For example;
Those adopting the behaviourist approach believe that only observable behaviour
should be studies. (Particularly in non-human animals.)
Those adopting the humanistic approach concentrate on the subjective experience of
the individual. (A-Level only)
The methods used to study behaviour
The approaches may vary in the methods used to study behaviour.
The methods used will determine the knowledge collected about behaviour.
This is known as epistemology.
For example;
The Biological and the behaviourist approaches use the experiment.
The psychodynamic approach used case studies.
The position taken in the debates (A-Level)
Debates include nature-nurture and free-will-determinism.
The role of psychology in the world (A-Level)
For example;
Approaches with a scientific basis, like the biological and behaviourist, see the role of
psychology as discovering knowledge about the causes and effects of behaviour.
On the other hand, the aim of the Humanistic approach is to improve the lives of
individuals and encourage their personal growth.
Are there any similarities between the approaches?
The unifying theme between all these approaches is:
Their concern with the understanding of mind and behaviour.
,What is the behaviourist approach?
All psychologists working within the behaviourist perspective seek to provide a theory of
how learning in both humans and other animals takes place and how behaviour can be
changed.
Who developed the Behaviourist approach?
The development of the behaviourist approach in psychology can be traced back to paper
written by John Broadus Watson (1913): ‘Psychology as the behaviourist views it.”
Watsons ideas had a tremendous effect on thinking in psychology, his writings and ideas
were a lever that moved the world.
NEW SECTION
Watson and the emergence of psychology as a science
Watson rejected introspection (the first systematic attempt to study the mind by breaking up
conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations.)
What did Watson state?
In this paper, Watson stated that psychologists should never use words such as mental states.
This established a key principle of behaviourism:
Studying only visible and observable behaviour.
This is classic behaviourism.
What did Watson want Psychology to be like?
Watson wished psychology to be science comparable to biology or chemistry.
Watson argued that if psychology was to be carried on in a scientific way and to gain wide
acceptance as a science it needed to be objective.
What are they predominant methods of study adopted by the behaviourists?
, The predominant methods of study adopted by the behaviourists are the experiments, many of
which are laboratory based.
Why did the behaviourists adopt the experiment?
Watson argued that psychology must use the same methods and collect the same kinds of
data as other sciences.
What has recent research shifted to?
However, recent research has shifted to more naturalistic settings.
Who were their participants?
Their research was usually conducted on animals such as rats or pigeons.
Why was their research usually conducted on animals?
After conducting research on animal behaviour, Watson stated that the laws of learning in
animals could be applied to human behaviour- the laws of learning were universal. (A-Level)
How long was Behaviourism the dominant force in psychology for?
In the following decades, until the mid-1950’s, behaviourism was the dominant force in
psychology particularly in North America.
What happened in the mid-1950’s?
Its assumptions and methods became increasingly criticised by cognitive psychologists.
What are the differences between each approach?
They each vary in a number of ways…
Underlying assumptions about behaviour
Each approach has a set of assumptions that are taken for granted about behaviour.
For example;
The behaviourist approach assumes that all behaviour is learnt.
The psychodynamic approach assumes that all behaviour has an unconscious cause.
What is deemed the appropriate subject matter for psychology
Approaches differ as to which areas of behaviour are considered suitable for study.
For example;
Those adopting the behaviourist approach believe that only observable behaviour
should be studies. (Particularly in non-human animals.)
Those adopting the humanistic approach concentrate on the subjective experience of
the individual. (A-Level only)
The methods used to study behaviour
The approaches may vary in the methods used to study behaviour.
The methods used will determine the knowledge collected about behaviour.
This is known as epistemology.
For example;
The Biological and the behaviourist approaches use the experiment.
The psychodynamic approach used case studies.
The position taken in the debates (A-Level)
Debates include nature-nurture and free-will-determinism.
The role of psychology in the world (A-Level)
For example;
Approaches with a scientific basis, like the biological and behaviourist, see the role of
psychology as discovering knowledge about the causes and effects of behaviour.
On the other hand, the aim of the Humanistic approach is to improve the lives of
individuals and encourage their personal growth.
Are there any similarities between the approaches?
The unifying theme between all these approaches is:
Their concern with the understanding of mind and behaviour.
,What is the behaviourist approach?
All psychologists working within the behaviourist perspective seek to provide a theory of
how learning in both humans and other animals takes place and how behaviour can be
changed.
Who developed the Behaviourist approach?
The development of the behaviourist approach in psychology can be traced back to paper
written by John Broadus Watson (1913): ‘Psychology as the behaviourist views it.”
Watsons ideas had a tremendous effect on thinking in psychology, his writings and ideas
were a lever that moved the world.
NEW SECTION
Watson and the emergence of psychology as a science
Watson rejected introspection (the first systematic attempt to study the mind by breaking up
conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations.)
What did Watson state?
In this paper, Watson stated that psychologists should never use words such as mental states.
This established a key principle of behaviourism:
Studying only visible and observable behaviour.
This is classic behaviourism.
What did Watson want Psychology to be like?
Watson wished psychology to be science comparable to biology or chemistry.
Watson argued that if psychology was to be carried on in a scientific way and to gain wide
acceptance as a science it needed to be objective.
What are they predominant methods of study adopted by the behaviourists?
, The predominant methods of study adopted by the behaviourists are the experiments, many of
which are laboratory based.
Why did the behaviourists adopt the experiment?
Watson argued that psychology must use the same methods and collect the same kinds of
data as other sciences.
What has recent research shifted to?
However, recent research has shifted to more naturalistic settings.
Who were their participants?
Their research was usually conducted on animals such as rats or pigeons.
Why was their research usually conducted on animals?
After conducting research on animal behaviour, Watson stated that the laws of learning in
animals could be applied to human behaviour- the laws of learning were universal. (A-Level)
How long was Behaviourism the dominant force in psychology for?
In the following decades, until the mid-1950’s, behaviourism was the dominant force in
psychology particularly in North America.
What happened in the mid-1950’s?
Its assumptions and methods became increasingly criticised by cognitive psychologists.
