Approaches
Free will VS determinism
Determinism=behaviours caused by internal/external factors
Free will=make our own choices
Holism VS determinism
Holism=behaviour is a whole integrated experience
Reductionism=behaviour is due to simpler component parts
Idiographic VS nomothetic
Idiographic=focuses on individuals to obtain a detailed, subjective and in-depth
understanding of personal experience. Qualitative. Provides a holistic view of human
behaviour. However cant generalise findings to wider population and lacks scientific
evidence.
Nomothetic=focuses on groups and aims for broad generalisations. Want to establish
general principles and norms. Quantitative. Highly scientific and replicable and allows for
prediction of behaviour. However can oversimplify human behaviour and overlook
complexity of individual experience.
Behaviourist approach
Assumptions:
Watson rejected the focus on mental processes as he believed it involved to many
concepts that were to vague and difficult to measure.
To avoid that, behaviourists tried to maintain more control and objectivity so rely on
lab experiments.
when we are born, our minds are a ‘tabula rosa’ (blank slate)
everything we are and become is due to the environment we are raised in, we learn
behaviour through classical and operant conditioning
only behaviour which can be objectively measured and observed is studied.
behaviourists believe that the learning mechanisms that are used in humans are also
used in animals therefore animals can replace humans in research.
Classical conditioning
, Pavlov rang a bell every time he gave food to the dogs, eventually the dogs
associated the sound of a bell with food and they would salivate at the sound of a
bell.
This showed how a neutral stimulus (bell) can elicit a new learned response
(conditioned response) through association
Operant conditioning
Skinner suggested learning is not passive (classical conditioning), instead it is an
active process where humans and animals operate on their environment.
Behaviour is shaped through consequences, positive and negative reinforcement and
punishment.
Positive reinforcement occurs when we carry out a behaviour to receive a reward e.g.
completing homework to receive praise from a teacher. Increases likelihood of
behaviour being repeated.
Negative reinforcement occurs when we carry out a behaviour to avoid negative
consequence e.g. completing homework to avoid getting a detention. Increases
likelihood of a behaviour being repeated.
Punishment is any consequence following a behaviour that decreases the likelihood
of that behaviour recurring.
Skinner rat experiment:
-Skinner wanted to see how reinforcement influenced an animal’s behaviour.
-rats were placed in specially designed cages, every time the rat activated a lever in the box
they would be rewarded with a food pellet. (positive reinforcement)
-the rat would then continue to perform the behaviour.
-Skinner also repeated the experiment but instead of food pellets, the rats would receive
an electric shock.
-this would decrease the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated, showing how
punishment works.
Evaluations
Strength:
A strength of the behaviourist approach is that it is based on well-controlled research.
Behaviourists focus on observable behaviour and conduct their experiments in a lab
setting. Behaviourists break down behaviour into smaller basic units like response units,
this allows the removal of all other possible extraneous variables. This allows cause and
effect relationships to clearly be established which increases internal validity. For example,
Skinner was able to demonstrate how reinforcement influenced an animal’s behaviour.
Strength:
Another strength of the behaviourist approach is that the principles of conditioning have
been applied to real world behaviours and problems. For example, operant conditioning is
the basis for the token economy system which has been successfully implemented in
institutions such as prisons and psychiatric hospitals. The token economy system rewards
individuals with tokens (secondary reinforcers) for displaying desired behaviours, these
tokens are then exchanged for tangible rewards (primary reinforcers). This increases the
value of the behaviourist approach because it has widespread application.
Free will VS determinism
Determinism=behaviours caused by internal/external factors
Free will=make our own choices
Holism VS determinism
Holism=behaviour is a whole integrated experience
Reductionism=behaviour is due to simpler component parts
Idiographic VS nomothetic
Idiographic=focuses on individuals to obtain a detailed, subjective and in-depth
understanding of personal experience. Qualitative. Provides a holistic view of human
behaviour. However cant generalise findings to wider population and lacks scientific
evidence.
Nomothetic=focuses on groups and aims for broad generalisations. Want to establish
general principles and norms. Quantitative. Highly scientific and replicable and allows for
prediction of behaviour. However can oversimplify human behaviour and overlook
complexity of individual experience.
Behaviourist approach
Assumptions:
Watson rejected the focus on mental processes as he believed it involved to many
concepts that were to vague and difficult to measure.
To avoid that, behaviourists tried to maintain more control and objectivity so rely on
lab experiments.
when we are born, our minds are a ‘tabula rosa’ (blank slate)
everything we are and become is due to the environment we are raised in, we learn
behaviour through classical and operant conditioning
only behaviour which can be objectively measured and observed is studied.
behaviourists believe that the learning mechanisms that are used in humans are also
used in animals therefore animals can replace humans in research.
Classical conditioning
, Pavlov rang a bell every time he gave food to the dogs, eventually the dogs
associated the sound of a bell with food and they would salivate at the sound of a
bell.
This showed how a neutral stimulus (bell) can elicit a new learned response
(conditioned response) through association
Operant conditioning
Skinner suggested learning is not passive (classical conditioning), instead it is an
active process where humans and animals operate on their environment.
Behaviour is shaped through consequences, positive and negative reinforcement and
punishment.
Positive reinforcement occurs when we carry out a behaviour to receive a reward e.g.
completing homework to receive praise from a teacher. Increases likelihood of
behaviour being repeated.
Negative reinforcement occurs when we carry out a behaviour to avoid negative
consequence e.g. completing homework to avoid getting a detention. Increases
likelihood of a behaviour being repeated.
Punishment is any consequence following a behaviour that decreases the likelihood
of that behaviour recurring.
Skinner rat experiment:
-Skinner wanted to see how reinforcement influenced an animal’s behaviour.
-rats were placed in specially designed cages, every time the rat activated a lever in the box
they would be rewarded with a food pellet. (positive reinforcement)
-the rat would then continue to perform the behaviour.
-Skinner also repeated the experiment but instead of food pellets, the rats would receive
an electric shock.
-this would decrease the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated, showing how
punishment works.
Evaluations
Strength:
A strength of the behaviourist approach is that it is based on well-controlled research.
Behaviourists focus on observable behaviour and conduct their experiments in a lab
setting. Behaviourists break down behaviour into smaller basic units like response units,
this allows the removal of all other possible extraneous variables. This allows cause and
effect relationships to clearly be established which increases internal validity. For example,
Skinner was able to demonstrate how reinforcement influenced an animal’s behaviour.
Strength:
Another strength of the behaviourist approach is that the principles of conditioning have
been applied to real world behaviours and problems. For example, operant conditioning is
the basis for the token economy system which has been successfully implemented in
institutions such as prisons and psychiatric hospitals. The token economy system rewards
individuals with tokens (secondary reinforcers) for displaying desired behaviours, these
tokens are then exchanged for tangible rewards (primary reinforcers). This increases the
value of the behaviourist approach because it has widespread application.
