FINAL APPROACHES NOTES
Behaviourist approach
Classical conditioning
→Pavlov, dog salivated(UNR) to food(UCS), before food was presented they rang a bell
→After enough pairings the dog associated the bell with food and began to salivate(CR) to bell(CS) in the
absence of the food
→CC dependant on 4 things
ㆍTiming
ㆍExtinction
ㆍSpontaneous recovery
ㆍStimulus generation(once an animal has been conditioned they will respond to other stimuli that are
similar to the CS)
Operant conditioning
→Skinner, behaviours can be learnt
→Put rat in box, when pressed a lever food pellets(the reinforcer) were released, positive reinforcement, led
the rat to perform this behaviour and over again
→If pellets stop coming out the rat presses lever again then abandons(extinction)
→3 types of learning
ㆍPositive reinforcement- subject rewarded, consequence is satisfying
ㆍNegative reinforcement- subject is returned to pre-aversive state , removal of unpleasant stimuli
ㆍPunishment- a consequence that is unpleasant/undesirable
Reinforcement increases the likelihood of behaviour recurring, punishment decreases it.
AO3
→Application to therapy→systematic desensitisation, elimination anxious response associated with the cs
and replace with relaxation→is effective when treating phobias eg spider
→Cc only appropriate for some learning→seligman [1970] concept animals were prepared to learn
associations significant in terms of survival, not meaning less ones→cc may be more appropriate in learning
of specific types of association #those important to survival
→Over-reliance on non human animals→skinner study, tell us little about human behaviour, humans have
free will→skinner argued that free will is only an illusion, only believe our behaviour is from free will because
of external influences that guide our behavior on a daily basis
Skinners use of experimental work
He manipulated the consequences of the behaviour (independent variable) and so was able to accurately
measure the dependent behaviour
This allowed him to establish a cause and effect relationship between the consequences of a behaviour
Social Learning theory
⤷Is the theory that behaviour can be learnt and imitated
, Model
→For a behavior to be learnt someone must perform this behaviour this is called a model
→There are two types of models
ㆍLive model [teacher or parent]
ㆍSymbolic model [someone on Tv, celebrity]
Imitation
→Much of what a child learns is acquired thru imitation modeled by parents or significant others
→There are 3 determinants of whether a behavior is modelled
ㆍCharacteristics of the model
ㆍWhether the observer is able to perform the behaviour
→The consequences of the behaviour
Identification
→The extent to which the observer identifies with the model
→Observer must feel their similar enough to go through the same experiences
→Shutts [2010] children are more likely to identify with same sex models
→If individuals go through identification they are more likely to imitate- thus SLT is more effective
Vicarious reinforcement
→When individuals learn about the likely consequences of a behaviour and adjust their behaviour
accordingly
→Bandura, children who observed the model for aggressive behaviour-more likely to imitate that behaviour
compared to children who saw model punished for that same behaviour
Role Of Mediational processes
→Bandura, in order for social learning to take place, the observer must form a mental representation of the
behaviour displayed by the model
→Observer must look at the probable consequences
→When appropriate opportunities arrive in the future the observer will perform the behaviour provided the
positive consequences outweigh the negative ones
Key study- bandura [1961]
-children observed aggressive and non-aggressive behaviour and were then tested for imitative learning in
the absence of the model
-half children were exposed to adult model acting agreeive towards bobo doll and other half to non-agressive
adults
-follwoing exposure to model, children shown attractive toys which they were not allowed to play with- then
taken to another room where there were tys incl bobo doll
Findings
-children who observed aggressive model reproduced physical and verbal behaviour
-children who observed non-aggressive dol exhibited no aggression towards bobo doll
-children who saw model being rewarded for aggressive acts were more likely to show aggression in their play
Behaviourist approach
Classical conditioning
→Pavlov, dog salivated(UNR) to food(UCS), before food was presented they rang a bell
→After enough pairings the dog associated the bell with food and began to salivate(CR) to bell(CS) in the
absence of the food
→CC dependant on 4 things
ㆍTiming
ㆍExtinction
ㆍSpontaneous recovery
ㆍStimulus generation(once an animal has been conditioned they will respond to other stimuli that are
similar to the CS)
Operant conditioning
→Skinner, behaviours can be learnt
→Put rat in box, when pressed a lever food pellets(the reinforcer) were released, positive reinforcement, led
the rat to perform this behaviour and over again
→If pellets stop coming out the rat presses lever again then abandons(extinction)
→3 types of learning
ㆍPositive reinforcement- subject rewarded, consequence is satisfying
ㆍNegative reinforcement- subject is returned to pre-aversive state , removal of unpleasant stimuli
ㆍPunishment- a consequence that is unpleasant/undesirable
Reinforcement increases the likelihood of behaviour recurring, punishment decreases it.
AO3
→Application to therapy→systematic desensitisation, elimination anxious response associated with the cs
and replace with relaxation→is effective when treating phobias eg spider
→Cc only appropriate for some learning→seligman [1970] concept animals were prepared to learn
associations significant in terms of survival, not meaning less ones→cc may be more appropriate in learning
of specific types of association #those important to survival
→Over-reliance on non human animals→skinner study, tell us little about human behaviour, humans have
free will→skinner argued that free will is only an illusion, only believe our behaviour is from free will because
of external influences that guide our behavior on a daily basis
Skinners use of experimental work
He manipulated the consequences of the behaviour (independent variable) and so was able to accurately
measure the dependent behaviour
This allowed him to establish a cause and effect relationship between the consequences of a behaviour
Social Learning theory
⤷Is the theory that behaviour can be learnt and imitated
, Model
→For a behavior to be learnt someone must perform this behaviour this is called a model
→There are two types of models
ㆍLive model [teacher or parent]
ㆍSymbolic model [someone on Tv, celebrity]
Imitation
→Much of what a child learns is acquired thru imitation modeled by parents or significant others
→There are 3 determinants of whether a behavior is modelled
ㆍCharacteristics of the model
ㆍWhether the observer is able to perform the behaviour
→The consequences of the behaviour
Identification
→The extent to which the observer identifies with the model
→Observer must feel their similar enough to go through the same experiences
→Shutts [2010] children are more likely to identify with same sex models
→If individuals go through identification they are more likely to imitate- thus SLT is more effective
Vicarious reinforcement
→When individuals learn about the likely consequences of a behaviour and adjust their behaviour
accordingly
→Bandura, children who observed the model for aggressive behaviour-more likely to imitate that behaviour
compared to children who saw model punished for that same behaviour
Role Of Mediational processes
→Bandura, in order for social learning to take place, the observer must form a mental representation of the
behaviour displayed by the model
→Observer must look at the probable consequences
→When appropriate opportunities arrive in the future the observer will perform the behaviour provided the
positive consequences outweigh the negative ones
Key study- bandura [1961]
-children observed aggressive and non-aggressive behaviour and were then tested for imitative learning in
the absence of the model
-half children were exposed to adult model acting agreeive towards bobo doll and other half to non-agressive
adults
-follwoing exposure to model, children shown attractive toys which they were not allowed to play with- then
taken to another room where there were tys incl bobo doll
Findings
-children who observed aggressive model reproduced physical and verbal behaviour
-children who observed non-aggressive dol exhibited no aggression towards bobo doll
-children who saw model being rewarded for aggressive acts were more likely to show aggression in their play
