1. Approaches in Psychology
Component 2 
Behaviourism

2. ‘We are born as a tabula rasa (blank slate)’
To Start
‘We are born as a tabula rasa (blank slate)’
What do you think this means?
Which Psychological approach do you think said this and why?

3. The Learning Approach: Behaviourism
Lesson Objectives
The Learning Approach: Behaviourism
Understand
To describe key assumptions and concepts of the behaviourist approach.
Apply
To explain real life examples of the behaviourist approach
Evaluate
To discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the behaviourist approach in Psychology

4. Ring any bells? What was this? From this…
Behaviourism
Ring any bells?
Video
What was this?
From this…
What might the assumptions of the behaviourist approach be?
Think in terms of human behaviour, psychology as a science, and nature/nurture
A Real Life Example

5. Behaviourism
Assumptions
We are born as a blank slate – a ‘tabula rasa’ – everything we become is shaped by the process of learning from our environment.
Extreme ‘nurture’ end of nature-nurture debate.
Argues that in order for psychology to be scientific it should focus on observable behaviour which can be objectively measured, rather than on things like cognitive processes which can only be inferred – rejected the idea of introspection!
Lab experiments are the best way to achieve this!

6. A01…
Assumptions
They rejected the vagueness of introspection. Focused on observable behaviour.
Behaviourists tried to maintain more control and objectivity within their research and relied on lab experiments to achieve this.
Behaviourists suggested that the basic processes that cause learning are the same in all species.

7. Behaviourism has two main forms of learning
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning & reinforcement
Define them using page 106.

8. Learning through association…
Behaviourism
Classical Conditioning - Pavlov
Learning through association…

9. How might this be used to learn/condition a fear?
Behaviourism
How does it work?
Before conditioning
Bell: Neutral stimulus (NS)
Food: unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
Salivation: unconditioned Response (UCR)
During conditioning
Bell: Neutral stimulus (NS)
Pairing +
Food: unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
Salivation: unconditioned Response (UCR)
After conditioning
Bell: Conditioned stimulus (CS)
Salivation: Conditioned response (CR)
How might this be used to learn/condition a fear?

10. Classical Conditioning - Watson
Behaviourism
Classical Conditioning - Watson
"Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select-- doctor, lawyer, merchant-chief, and yes, even beggarman and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.“ (Watson, 1930)

11. A01…
Apply it
A young woman says: “When I was 5 years old, I was at a party and a balloon burst with a loud bang in my face. Even after all these years, I cannot bear to go into a room where there are balloons. They terrify me!”
Use your knowledge of classical conditioning to explain why the young woman is terrified of balloons

12. A01… Apply it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP5lCleK-PM
Before Conditioning
UCS – loud bang
UCR – Frightened
NS - Balloon
During Conditioning
UCS – loud bang
NS - Balloon
UCR – Frightened
After Conditioning
CS - Balloon
CR- Frightened

13. Consider… How do you train..? A Child A Dog A Pigeon Behaviourism

14. Learning through consequences
Behaviourism
Operant Conditioning – Skinner
Learning through consequences

15. Skinners Rat/Pigeon Experiment
Behaviourism
Skinners Rat/Pigeon Experiment
By chance he presses the
lever
A pellet of food appears!
I’ll do that again
Rat is hungry and performs various exploratory behaviours
How might this apply to behaviours like gambling?

16. Match the definitions and write them in your books
Behaviourism
Match the definitions and write them in your books
Reinforcement :
Anything which has the effect of increasing the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated by using consequences that are pleasant when they stop. Aspirin to get rid of a headache. In simple terms, it is behaviour that makes something unpleasant go away.
Positive reinforcement :
Anything which has the effect of decreasing the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated by using consequences that are unpleasant
Negative reinforcement :
Anything which has the effect of increasing the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated by using consequences that are pleasant when they happen i.e. food for the rat/pigeon. Giving a child sweets when they clean their room.
Punishment :
Anything which has the effect of increasing the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated

17. Schedules of reinforcement
Behaviourism
Schedules of reinforcement
When and how often we reinforce a behaviour can have a significant impact on the strength and rate of the response.
2 types of schedules
Continuous reinforcement: the desired behaviour is reinforced every single time it occurs, may result in a stronger response.
Partial reinforcement: the response is reinforced only part of the time. Weaker effect.

18. Apply it… which is positive and which is negative reinforcement?
Behaviourism
Apply it… which is positive and which is negative reinforcement?
Lisa always complains of a headache when it is time to start doing her homework. Her parents allow her to go to bed without doing her homework.
A mother gives her son biscuits for cleaning up his toys.
Anna receives £5 for every ‘A’ she earns on her report.
Billy hates when his dad nags him to do the dishes. He starts to do the dishes immediately after finishing a meal to avoid this.

19. Apply it: Supernanny! What type of conditioning does Supernanny use?
Behaviourism
Apply it: Supernanny!
What type of conditioning does Supernanny use?
How does she use it?

20. Now Evaluate the behaviourist approach as a whole…
Behaviourism
Now Evaluate the behaviourist approach as a whole…
Consider both classical and operant conditioning and evaluate them using the questions below to help you…
How useful do you think this approach is in explaining human behaviour?
Do CC/OC help to explain or fail to explain any behaviours?
Can they be useful in any way, for example in controlling behaviour or by treating mental illness?
Are there any ethical issues in the way the studies were conducted?
Effective evaluation = State, Make, Explain.

21. Behaviourism
Strengths
Allows psychologists to investigate the effect of the environment on behaviour
It is very scientific and usually uses controlled experimental methods
It provides a strong counter-argument to the nature side of the nature-nurture debate.
Many useful applications such as desensitisation (treating Phobias)

22. Evaluation
 Real life applications – the principles of conditioning have been applied to a broad range real-world behaviours and problems. For example, operant conditioning is the basis of token economy systems that have been used successfully in institutions, such as prisons and psychiatric wards. These work by rewarding appropriate behaviour with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges.
 Scientific credibility – makes use of the scientific method through the use of a rigorous experimental approaches; such as objectivity and replication. This gives the behavioural method greater credibility and status.

23. Behaviourism
Limitations
It is reductionist as it ignores the influences of nature and cognition on behaviour
Use of this perspective often relies on laboratory experiments which lack ecological validity
Ethical concerns may be raised.
Many animal studies are used which open up the ethical debate/cause problems when generalising to humans.

24.  Mechanistic view of behaviour – animals are seen as passive and machine like responders to the environment with little or no conscious insight into their behaviour. Whereas, other approaches such as the cognitive approach have emphasised the importance of mental events during learning. This suggests humans play a much more active role in their own learning.
 Ethical issues –many experiments have been criticised the due to the ethical issues. The animals were exposed to stressful conditions. This may have effected how they behaved in the experimental situation, reducing the validity of the results.
 Environmental determinism – the behaviourist approach sees all behaviour as controlled by past experiences that have been conditioned. This ignores the idea that humans have a choice in how to behave (free will)

25. Behaviourism
Assess: Exam Q’s
A young woman says: “When I was 5 years old, I was at a party and a balloon burst with a loud bang in my face. Even after all these years, I cannot bear to go into a room where there are balloons. They terrify me!”
Use your knowledge of classical conditioning to explain why the young woman is terrified of balloons. ( 3 marks)