Psychology Essay: Discuss at least two assumptions of the behaviourist approach in psychology

Discuss at least two assumptions of the behaviourist approach in psychology

(10 marks)

4 A01 marks = describe / name the assumptions
6 A02 marks = criticise the assumptions

Note: the more assumptions you name, the more AO2 marks you can achieve by criticising.

One assumption of the behaviourist approach is that psychology should be scientific and use lab experiments to objectively measure behaviour (AO1). The humanistic approach disagrees and rejects scientific methodology, as Rogers believes that experiments create artificial environments and have low ecological validity (AO2). Humanism prefers rich qualitative data rather than the quantitative data obtained using experiments.

Another assumption of the behaviourist approach is that a person’s environment determines their behaviour, i.e. people have no free will, all behaviour is learnt through operant and classical conditioning (A01). Again, humanism disagrees because they believe that people have free will to make their own decisions in life. This is called personal agency (A02). The biological approach believes that the environment does not affect behaviour; instead a person’s biology affects their behaviour. For example, the hormone testosterone makes a person behave aggressively (A02).

The behaviourist approach believes that each person is born a blank slate, i.e. tabula rasa (A01). Freud disagrees and believes that people have innate (inborn) behaviour like sexual instincts (Eros) to reproduce and aggressive instincts (Thanatos) to protect themselves (A02). These instincts originate in the id part of the tripartite personality.

The behaviourist approach believes that humans and animals are very similar and learn in a similar way through either classical or operant conditioning (A01). For example, Little Albert (human) and Pavlov’s dogs (animals) were both classically conditioned. The humanistic approach disagrees with this view, as it believes that people are unique and cannot be compared to animals as humans have free will and animals don’t (A02). Also, Rogers believes that humans can self-actualise and animals cannot.

Finally, the behaviourist approach believes that only external observable behaviour should be studied, as it can be objectively measured (you cannot get any more A01 marks – the maximum is 4 AO1 marks). The humanist approach and cognitive approach disagree and believe that internal behaviour should be studied. For example, Rogers believes that a person’s feelings are important and cognitive psychology believes that internal behaviour, called mediational processes (like memory and perception), should also be studied instead of external behaviour (A02).