AQA A LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY APPROACHES.

Outline and evaluate the behaviourist approach. (16 MARKS) - A01 . This approach is concerned with the behaviour that can be observed and measured. Early behaviourists rejected Wundt's idea of introspection, believing that the concepts involved with introspection are too difficult to measure. Instead, behaviourists relied on lab experiments to ensure objectivity and control in their research. . Classical conditioning refers to learning through association and was researched by Pavlov using dogs as an experimental subject. A neutral stimulus is consistently paired with an unconditional stimulus so that it eventually takes on the properties of this stimulus to produce a conditioned response. . Operant conditioning, as researched by Skinner through the use of his Skinner box, refers to learning through reinforcement or punishment, if a behaviour is followed by a desirable consequence, then that behaviour is more likely to occur again in the future. AO3 1. The behaviourist approach focuses on the measurement of observable characteristics. In a Outline and evaluate the social learning theory. (16 MARKS) - AO1 . Our behaviour is learned from experience. Bandura proposed the SLT which suggests that we learn through the observation and imitation of others. . For indirect learning to occur, an individual must observe the behaviour of others, they may imitate this behaviour, but only if the consequences of this behaviour seems to be positive. . If they observe the model being rewarded they are likely to themselves, imitate this behaviour (vicarious reinforcement). . People are more likely to imitate the behaviour of models they identify with. A person becomes a model if they are seen to possess characteristics that the observer has, or if they have characteristics that the observer wishes to have. . Mediational processes refer to the mental event that that determines whether an individual perceives a behaviour as being worth imitating. AO3