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Outline and evaluate the behaviourist approach in psychology (16 marks)
The behaviourist approach is psychology was developed by through Pavlov and Skinners’
research on conditioning. Pavlov’s research on dogs led to the term ‘classical conditioning’. In
this form of conditioning, the behaviour is learnt through repeated association. In Pavlov’s
experiment, the dogs were conditioned using the unconditioned stimulus (food) which results
in the unconditioned response (salivating). However, when Pavlov introduced the neutral
stimulus (the bell) the dogs continued to salivate. After repeating the condition, the neutral
stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus which results in the conditioned response
(salivating). However, Skinner’s research on rats led to the understanding of a different type
of conditioning. Skinner researched operant conditioning- which uses positive and negative
reinforcement to encourage desirable behaviour. Operant conditioning proposes that
learning is encourage through rewards. Positive reinforcement involves adding something
positive to the situation to improve it, whereas negative reinforcement involves removing a
negative stimulus from the situation to improve it. Both types of reinforcement are used to
encourage desirable behaviour. Skinner proposes that behaviour is learnt through rewards
and Pavlov proposes that behaviour is learnt through association.
Both Skinner and Pavlov's studies were conducted with high level of control and scientific
rigour, this resulted in their research being credible in the field of psychology. The approach
Behaviourism was able to bring the language and methods of natural sciences into
psychology by focusing on measurements of observable behaviour. This emphasis on both
the lab setting and features of science such as; objectivity and replicability meant that
behaviourism was influential in the development of Psychology as a science. However, when
considering complex human behaviour behaviouristic approach maybe too reductionist to
completely determine cause and effect.
Often the result of high levels of control in experiments and scientific rigour can mean that
an approach has a mechanical view of behaviour. Pavlov and Skinner considered animals
and human responses as similar to the ones of passive machines with little to no conscious
insight into our own behaviour. Other influential approaches such as social learning theory
and cognitive approach highlight the importance of self-awareness and mental events
during learning. These processes are known as mediational processes as they mediate
between the stimulus and response, suggesting active rather than passive learning.
Therefore, while behaviourism adopts many of the features of science it seems to be a
reductionist theory which then results in low ecological validity and limited real-world
applications.
Despite the limited applications of behaviourism, it has resulted in behavioural correctional
schemes used in schools, prisons and psychiatric wards as well as various treatments for
phobias such as flooding. Behavioural correctional schemes were a result of Skinner's study
on operant conditioning. For instance, operant conditioning is the basis for token economy
systems that have successfully been used in school, prisons and psychiatric wards and other
correctional facilities. These work by rewarding appropriate behaviour with tokens that can
be exchanged for privileges. Furthermore, both classical and operant conditioning have been
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