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Psychology A-Level Paper 2 Revision
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Psychology A-Level Paper 2 Revision (Advanced Information) Approaches
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Psychology A-Level Paper 2 Revision (Advanced Information) Approaches 2023\2024The behaviourist approach - correct answer-Suggests that all behaviour is learnt as a direct result to our environment and that we are born with a blank slate. Uses classical and operant conditioning.
Behaviourists believe that theories need to be evidenced by empirical data acquired through careful and controlled observation and measurement of behaviour.
Classical conditioning - correct answer-Learning by association
Pavlov's experiment (1897) - correct answer-- Dogs presented with a bowl of food (unconditioned stimulus) producing salivation (unconditioned response).
- A bell (neutral stimulus) is rang and then the dog is presented with the bowl of food.
- The bell becomes a conditioned stimulus so when the dog hears the bell it will now salivate before seeing the food, which is a conditioned response.
What is acquisition? - correct answer-The phase of classical conditioning when the CS and the US are presented together.
What is extinction? - correct answer-When the conditioned stimulus no longer elicits the conditioned response.
What is spontaneous recovery? - correct answer-The reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response.
Operant conditioning - correct answer-Learning by reinforcement
Skinner's Box (1938) - correct answer-- Skinner introduced a hungry rat into the box and
inside the box was a lever that when pressed, would deliver a food pellet. The rat soon learned that pressing the lever would result in a food pellet (reward).
- Skinner observed that as a consequence of its actions (receiving a pellet of food), the rat continued to display this new behaviour. The rat's behaviour had been positively reinforced.
- Punishment: Skinner changed the mechanism so that when the rat placed the lever, instead of receiving a food pellet it was given an electric shock to its paw. Very quickly the rat stopped pressing the lever. The shock acted as punishment.
- Negative reinforcement: Skinner showed negative reinforcement by placing a rat into his skinner box and subjecting it to an unpleasant electric current which caused it some discomfort. As the rat moved about the box it would accidentally knock the lever. As the lever was knocked the current switched off. The rats quickly learned to go straight to the
lever after a few times of being put in the box. The consequence of escaping the electric
current ensured they would repeat the action.
Positive reinforcement - correct answer-Increasing behaviours by presenting positive stimuli, such as food. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response.
Negative reinforcement - correct answer-Increasing behaviours by stopping or reducing negative stimuli, such as shock. A negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response. (Note: negative reinforcement is not punishment.)
Punishment - correct answer-An event that decreases the behaviour that it follows e.g., an electric shock following a certain response.
Strengths of the behaviourist approach - correct answer-There is evidence to support the behaviourist approach. For example, Watson and Rayner classically conditioned an 11 month old boy (Little Albert) to fear rats by presenting them with a loud noise. This is a strength because the fact that Little Albert learned to fear white fluffy animals supports
the role of Classical Conditioning in learning behaviour. The behaviourist approach has had many useful practical applications. For example, this approach has allowed Psychologists to develop successful therapies for treating abnormalities (e.g. flooding) which require individuals to unlearn their disorder using the principals of classical conditioning. This is a strength because, the fact that flooding is such a successful treatment shows that if behaviours (e.g. phobias) can be unlearned through classical conditioning then other behaviours that individuals learned must have developed through classical conditioning.
Weaknesses of the behaviourist approach - correct answer-The behaviourist approach is deterministic, claiming that all thought and behaviour is caused by factors outside of our control. For example, the approach states that we develop behaviours through stimuli-response associations and through the learning that takes place as we interact with our environment. This is a weakness because, the Behavioural approach fails to consider the role of free will, it states that we do not have control over our actions and that the behaviours we develop are governed by external experiences when surely our actions in some part must be as a result of our own free choice.
The behaviourist approach is reductionist, as it attempts to reduce all aspects of human behaviour down to just one level of explanation. For example, the Behavioural approach
reduces complex behaviours down to learning through our environment through association and rewards and punishment. This is a weakness because, the behavioural theory is an over-simplification of complex human behaviours. Surely our behaviour
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