The Behaviourist
approach
Behaviourist Approach (AO1)
Name and outline:
1.Classical Conditioning
2.Operant Conditioning
3. Social Learning Theory
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING: is about the association between a
stimulus and a response (Pavlov, 1927)
OPERANT CONDITIONING: is when we learn to behave in
certain ways due to positive and negative reinforcement
(Skinner, 1974)
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY: behaviour is shaped by
observing and imitating the behaviour of others (Bandura, 1973)
Classical Conditioning
An event in the environment = stimulus
The physiological reaction = response
An example of Classical Conditioning can be seen in the
experiment by Watson and Raynor (1920) into the
conditioning of Little Albert…
Classical Conditioning
BEFORE CONDITIONING
LOUD NOISE = unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
WHITE RAT = neutral stimulus (NS)
Fear/Crying (UCR)
No fear response
DURING CONDITIONING
LOUD NOISE (UCS)
+
WHITE RAT (NS)
Fear / Crying (UCR)
AFTER CONDITIONING
Fear / Crying (CR)
WHITE RAT (CS)
LEADS TO PHOBIA
Main Assumptions:
1. Emphasis on behaviour
The behavioural approach is investigated using
EXPERIMENTS and ANIMAL STUDIES
- Behaviourists believe that our actions are determined largely by the
experiences we have in life, rather than by underlying pathology of
unconscious forces.
- Abnormality is therefore seen as the development of behaviour patterns that
are considered maladaptive for the individual.
2. All behaviour is learned through:
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Social learning
3. Learning environments
- Learning environments can reinforce problematic behaviours
- Our society can also provide deviant maladaptive models that children
identify with and imitate.
KEY FEATURES OF THE BEHAVIOURAL APPROACH TO
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (Abnormality)
Assumption 1: All behaviour is learned through experience. All
behaviour, including abnormal behaviour, is learned through the
processes of classical and/or operant conditioning. Classical
Conditioning involves learning through association. Operant
conditioning involves learning through rewards (positive and
negative reinforcement) and punishment. Or through modelling
and Social Learning Theory. (as in Bandura’s ‘BoBo’ doll study)
Assumption 2: What has been learned/acquired can be unlearned
through the processes of conditioning, classical or operant.
Undesirable or maladaptive behaviour can be replaced by
desirable or adaptive behaviour e.g. we can use behavioural
therapies such as Desensitization and token economies.
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CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Classical Conditioning was one of the first types
of learning to be discovered. It was studied by
Ivan Pavlov using his dogs.
Ivan Pavlov
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Classical Conditioning
Learning occurs through association:
- A neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus, resulting in a new
stimulus-response link
- The neutral stimulus is now a conditioned stimulus producing a conditioned
response.
- E.g. Pavlov (1901) taught dogs to salivate when they heard a bell
UCS (presentation of food) --------- UCR (salivation)
UCS + NS (bell) ----------------------- UCR (salivation)
CS (bell) --------------------------------- CR (salivation)
How this can cause a phobia…..
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Classical Conditioning:
We learn to associate one thing with another e.g.
Child on mum’s knee
Child sees spider (NS) – unafraid – doesn’t know
what spider is!
Mum sees spider
Mum screams and drops baby!
Baby associates spider with fear and lump on head
(UCS)!
Baby sees spider
Baby cries! (CR)
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Classical conditioning and abnormality
Classical conditioning has been said to account
for the development of phobias.
- The feared object (e.g. spider or rat) is
associated with a fear or anxiety sometime in the
past.
- The conditioned stimulus subsequently evokes a
powerful fear response characterised by
avoidance of the feared object and the emotion of
fear whenever the object is encountered.
Little Albert (Watson and Rayner (1920)
- Wanted to prove that fear responses can be
learned
- Worked with 11 month old named ‘Little Albert’
- First tested his response to white fluffy objects –
he showed no fear
- Next created a conditioned response to these
previously neutral objects. They made a loud noise
behind Albert’s head every time he went near a
white rat in order to startle him.
- Repeated this until whenever the rat was shown
to Albert he would cry because he associated the
rat with a loud and frightening noise – they had
conditioned a fear response in him. The responses
then generalised to all fluffy animals.
- Activity: in pairs consider the methodological
issues of this study.
Operant Conditioning
Learning occurs through reinforcement
- We respond to our environment through reinforcement and punishment
- Responses that are reinforced are more likely to be repeated. Those that
are punished are more likely to be avoided.
- Skinner (1974) demonstrated
that rats could be taught
voluntary responses by reward
and punishment of behaviour.
- Different patterns of behaviour
are taught through use of
different schedules of
reinforcement.
Operant conditioning
• A behaviour that has a positive effect is more
likely to be repeated
• Positive and negative reinforcement (escape
from aversive stimulus) are agreeable
• Punishment is disagreeable
• Therefore treatment is by positive & negative
reinforcement and punishment (used in schools
to treat disruptive children – and in treatment of
disorders such as anorexia)
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OPERANT CONDITIONING
Reinforcement of
Behaviour (by reward)
Results in the
behaviour being
repeated
Behaviour can then be
SHAPED to give a
desired response.
B. F. Skinner (1904-1990)
Operant Conditioning
The PIGEON & The Skinner Box 14
Operant Conditioning
= positive
reinforcement
= negative
reinforcement
How can this cause abnormal
behaviour?
• We can learn to associate and action with a
reward or sanction e.g.
• Boy sees sweets at checkout
• Boy wants sweets but mum says No!
• Boy screams and shouts and has a tantrum
• Mum gives boy sweets reinforcing the bad
behaviour
• Boy learns that tantrums = getting what
he wants!
• So next time boy wants sweets…..
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Operant conditioning and abnormality
- Psychological disorders are produced when a
maladaptive behaviour is rewarded or goes unpunished.
- E.g. an individual may be rewarded for having panic attacks
by receiving attention from family and friends – this would lead
to the behaviour being reinforced and increasing in later life.
Social Learning
-This
is an extension of skinner’s work and suggests that we learn through
observing another’s behaviour and it’s consequences. We imitate behaviour that
we see being rewarded – vicarious reinforcement.
- People observe and imitate the behaviour of other people (models).
Social learning and abnormality
- Abnormal behaviours can therefore be learned
and imitated.
- E.g. If an individual grows up in an environment
where their mother has a phobia of mice. If the
behaviour is unpunished, they may imitate the
behaviour which may lead to developing the
phobia themselves.
- However, it is difficult to separate the effects of
genetics from the effects of social learning
(Kendall and Hammen, 1995)
Social Learning Theory – Imitation of
role models & Reinforcement can also
lead to abnormal behaviour:• Girl watches mother (role model) who
has OCD washing ritualistically every
item in house daily.
• Girl cleans own things in same way –
copying mum!
Evidence:
Bandura’s
BoBo Doll exp. ~>
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Behaviourist Approach (AO1)
APPLY classical conditioning, operant conditioning and social learning theory
to the explanation of abnormal behaviour…
How can we apply Classical Conditioning to the explanation of
Phobias?
Fear of heights: If a person climbs to the top of a high building
(stimulus), looks down and feels nausea and dizziness (response), the
association between the two, and the response will cause the phobia.
Operant Conditioning can explain some psychological disorders
such as antisocial personality disorder – how?
If childhood aggression is reinforced then the behaviour is likely to be
repeated. Also, anxiety or depression might receive reward in the form
of attention and concern, also making the behaviour be repeated.
How can Social Learning Theory best explain some other phobias and
disorders?
Antisocial behaviour can also be explained by SLT if a child observes
a model who is rewarded. This can lead to imitation. Also some
phobias develop due to observing how a model responds to a stimulus