Behavioural Approach
Basic principles
This approach focuses on observable behaviours. We can apply findings
from animal experiments to humans. We are born as a blank slate. We
learn through experience, mostly this learning is adaptive, however
sometimes it can me maladaptive. Classical
Conditioning
Pavlov’s Dogs:
Learning a new
• The salivary reflex is a response
behaviour through
which occurs automatically
association .
when food is placed on the E.g. Pavlov’s dogs
dogs tongue.
• He noticed that dogs salivation
in response to anything
associated to the feeding
routine. Operant
Skinner (1938)
Conditioning
• By ringing a bell prior to • Skinner studied operant conditioning by
Learning that occur
feeding, Pavlov could condition conducting experiments using animals which
through rewards
the dogs to salivate just in were placed in a Skinner Box.
and punishment for
• Positive reinforcement: a hungry rat was
response to the bell. behaviour.
placed in the box. The box had a lever that
• If there was a short break and E.g. Skinners Box
released food as the rat pressed against it.
Pavlov rang the bell again and
The rat quickly learned to go straight to the
the dog salivated its called a
lever after a few times of being put in the box. Evaluation:
spontaneous recovery. • Negative reinforcement: a rat was subjected
• Criticised as it is largely
• He found that he could train the to unpleasant electric shocks which caused supported by research
dogs to discriminate between discomfort. As the rat moved and hit the into animals.
bell tones by presenting food leaver, the shock stopped. The rat quickly • Don’t look at how
only when one particular bell learned to go straight to the lever after a few conscious thoughts
was rung. times of being put in the box. influence behaviour.
• Supported by Little
Albert.
• It is scientific - highly
1 2 3 controlled experiments,
observable behaviour.
• It is deterministic - all
POSITIVE NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT behaviour is determined
REINFORCEMENT REINFORCEMENT Decrease likelihood of the by past conditioning.
behaviour being • It ignores the role of
Reward - increases the Avoidance of something
repeated. biology - genes,
likelihood that the unpleasant - more likely
biochemicals, brain
behaviour is repeated. behaviour is repeated.
structure etc.
, Social Learning Theory
Basic principles
People observe the behaviour of other people (models). They may
imitate the behaviour they observe. Whether or not they do depends
on the persons perceived ability to perform the behaviour and the
observed consequences: vicarious reinforcement, vicarious
punishment. Imitation is more likely to occur of we identify with the
model. We see them as sharing some characteristics with us e.g. age,
gender, social status. This makes it easier to visualise the self instead
of the model. We will also identify if the model is attractive, of high
status and acting in a believable way.
Mediation process:
The Bobo Doll Experiment - Bandura (1961): There are cognitive
36 boys and 36 girls from Stanford University Nursery School aged 3-6. Its a factors involved in
lab experiment. There were three conditions, aggressive model shown to 24 learning and extend
children, non-aggressive shown to 24 and no model shown to 24.They were all the social learning
subjected to mild aggression arousal. They were taken into a room with theory beyond the
attractive toys. When they started to play the researcher told them they were simple learned
the very best toys reserved for the other kids. The children were then taken to stimulus-response
another room with aggressive toys and a 3 foot bobo doll, and some non- explanation of
aggressive toys. Their behaviour was observed. behaviourism. These
mental factors
Children who observed the aggressive model acted more aggressively mediate (intervene) in
towards the Bobo doll compared to the other groups. Boys imitated more the learning process
physical aggression than girls. 1/3 of the children who observed aggressive to determine whether
model replicated the verbal responses. a new response is
required.
Evaluation:
• It is scientific
observable behaviour
ATTENTION RETENTION
with controlled lab The individuals need to pay more The individual needs to store the
settings.. attention to the behaviour and its observed behaviour in LTM where it
• Lacks ecological consequences. can stay for a long period of time.
validity. Imitation is not alway immediate.
• Children showed
demand characteristics REPRODUCTION MOTIVATION
in Bobo Doll study. The individual must be able to The individual must expect to receive
• Real life application -
reproduce the observed behaviour. the same positive reinforcements for
role of the media imitating the observed behaviour that
influencing behaviour. they have seen the model receiving.
Basic principles
This approach focuses on observable behaviours. We can apply findings
from animal experiments to humans. We are born as a blank slate. We
learn through experience, mostly this learning is adaptive, however
sometimes it can me maladaptive. Classical
Conditioning
Pavlov’s Dogs:
Learning a new
• The salivary reflex is a response
behaviour through
which occurs automatically
association .
when food is placed on the E.g. Pavlov’s dogs
dogs tongue.
• He noticed that dogs salivation
in response to anything
associated to the feeding
routine. Operant
Skinner (1938)
Conditioning
• By ringing a bell prior to • Skinner studied operant conditioning by
Learning that occur
feeding, Pavlov could condition conducting experiments using animals which
through rewards
the dogs to salivate just in were placed in a Skinner Box.
and punishment for
• Positive reinforcement: a hungry rat was
response to the bell. behaviour.
placed in the box. The box had a lever that
• If there was a short break and E.g. Skinners Box
released food as the rat pressed against it.
Pavlov rang the bell again and
The rat quickly learned to go straight to the
the dog salivated its called a
lever after a few times of being put in the box. Evaluation:
spontaneous recovery. • Negative reinforcement: a rat was subjected
• Criticised as it is largely
• He found that he could train the to unpleasant electric shocks which caused supported by research
dogs to discriminate between discomfort. As the rat moved and hit the into animals.
bell tones by presenting food leaver, the shock stopped. The rat quickly • Don’t look at how
only when one particular bell learned to go straight to the lever after a few conscious thoughts
was rung. times of being put in the box. influence behaviour.
• Supported by Little
Albert.
• It is scientific - highly
1 2 3 controlled experiments,
observable behaviour.
• It is deterministic - all
POSITIVE NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT behaviour is determined
REINFORCEMENT REINFORCEMENT Decrease likelihood of the by past conditioning.
behaviour being • It ignores the role of
Reward - increases the Avoidance of something
repeated. biology - genes,
likelihood that the unpleasant - more likely
biochemicals, brain
behaviour is repeated. behaviour is repeated.
structure etc.
, Social Learning Theory
Basic principles
People observe the behaviour of other people (models). They may
imitate the behaviour they observe. Whether or not they do depends
on the persons perceived ability to perform the behaviour and the
observed consequences: vicarious reinforcement, vicarious
punishment. Imitation is more likely to occur of we identify with the
model. We see them as sharing some characteristics with us e.g. age,
gender, social status. This makes it easier to visualise the self instead
of the model. We will also identify if the model is attractive, of high
status and acting in a believable way.
Mediation process:
The Bobo Doll Experiment - Bandura (1961): There are cognitive
36 boys and 36 girls from Stanford University Nursery School aged 3-6. Its a factors involved in
lab experiment. There were three conditions, aggressive model shown to 24 learning and extend
children, non-aggressive shown to 24 and no model shown to 24.They were all the social learning
subjected to mild aggression arousal. They were taken into a room with theory beyond the
attractive toys. When they started to play the researcher told them they were simple learned
the very best toys reserved for the other kids. The children were then taken to stimulus-response
another room with aggressive toys and a 3 foot bobo doll, and some non- explanation of
aggressive toys. Their behaviour was observed. behaviourism. These
mental factors
Children who observed the aggressive model acted more aggressively mediate (intervene) in
towards the Bobo doll compared to the other groups. Boys imitated more the learning process
physical aggression than girls. 1/3 of the children who observed aggressive to determine whether
model replicated the verbal responses. a new response is
required.
Evaluation:
• It is scientific
observable behaviour
ATTENTION RETENTION
with controlled lab The individuals need to pay more The individual needs to store the
settings.. attention to the behaviour and its observed behaviour in LTM where it
• Lacks ecological consequences. can stay for a long period of time.
validity. Imitation is not alway immediate.
• Children showed
demand characteristics REPRODUCTION MOTIVATION
in Bobo Doll study. The individual must be able to The individual must expect to receive
• Real life application -
reproduce the observed behaviour. the same positive reinforcements for
role of the media imitating the observed behaviour that
influencing behaviour. they have seen the model receiving.
