Outline and compare the Behavioural and the Biological approaches in Psychology (16)
The Behavioural approach sees all behaviour as being learnt. There are three ways in which
we learn things: - Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning and Social Learning Theory.
Classical Conditioning is learning through association. Ivan Pavlov found that dogs can be
trained to salivate in response to a bell, if the bell was paired with food. Eventually, the
dogs learnt to associate the bell with food and would salivate just in response to the bell
when the food was not present.
Operant Conditioning is learning through reinforcement. Behaviour that has a positive
outcome will be repeated and behaviour with a negative outcome will not be repeated. For
example, sometimes, naughty children persist in their behaviour because they are rewarded
with attention. Therefore, the best way to train a child would be to ignore negative
behaviour and reward good behaviour
Social Learning Theory is learning through imitation. This suggests that we observe other
people and copy their behaviour, especially if we see them being rewarded for it.
On the other hand the biological approach sees all behaviour as having a physical cause.
The biological explanation claims the brain and the mind are identical, that biochemical
imbalance, hormonal imbalance and brain physiology can affect behaviour and behaviour
can be inherited (as it is determined by genetic information). So for example, if a person is
depressed it could be inherited in our genes, a family trait or neural explanations suggest
that abnormal levels of neurotransmitters, in particular serotonin and dopamine, are
implicated in OCD.
One similarity is that they both could be regarded as deterministic. This is the argument that
we do not have much control over our actions, any influence of free will is ignored.
However, they believe it is determined for us by different factors. For example, the
biological approach believes that behaviour is determined by innate influences such a
genes, siding with genetic determinism. The behaviourist approach on the hand focused on
environmental determinism, believing that humans are passive and our behaviour is
determined by learning.
The Behavioural approach sees all behaviour as being learnt. There are three ways in which
we learn things: - Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning and Social Learning Theory.
Classical Conditioning is learning through association. Ivan Pavlov found that dogs can be
trained to salivate in response to a bell, if the bell was paired with food. Eventually, the
dogs learnt to associate the bell with food and would salivate just in response to the bell
when the food was not present.
Operant Conditioning is learning through reinforcement. Behaviour that has a positive
outcome will be repeated and behaviour with a negative outcome will not be repeated. For
example, sometimes, naughty children persist in their behaviour because they are rewarded
with attention. Therefore, the best way to train a child would be to ignore negative
behaviour and reward good behaviour
Social Learning Theory is learning through imitation. This suggests that we observe other
people and copy their behaviour, especially if we see them being rewarded for it.
On the other hand the biological approach sees all behaviour as having a physical cause.
The biological explanation claims the brain and the mind are identical, that biochemical
imbalance, hormonal imbalance and brain physiology can affect behaviour and behaviour
can be inherited (as it is determined by genetic information). So for example, if a person is
depressed it could be inherited in our genes, a family trait or neural explanations suggest
that abnormal levels of neurotransmitters, in particular serotonin and dopamine, are
implicated in OCD.
One similarity is that they both could be regarded as deterministic. This is the argument that
we do not have much control over our actions, any influence of free will is ignored.
However, they believe it is determined for us by different factors. For example, the
biological approach believes that behaviour is determined by innate influences such a
genes, siding with genetic determinism. The behaviourist approach on the hand focused on
environmental determinism, believing that humans are passive and our behaviour is
determined by learning.
