Behaviourist Approach

Behaviourism Assumptions

* Psychology should be seen as a science. Theories need to be supported by empirical data obtained through careful and controlled observation and measurement of behaviour.

* Behaviourism is primarily concerned with observable behaviour, as opposed to internal events like thinking and emotion. Observable (i.e. external) behaviour can be objectively and scientifically measured.

* People have no free will – a person’s environment determines their behaviour

* All behaviour is learnt from the environment. We learn new behaviour through classical or operant conditioning.

* When born our mind is 'tabula rasa' (a blank slate).

* There is little difference between the learning that takes place in humans and that in other animals. Therefore research can be carried out on animals as well as humans.

* Behaviour is the result of stimulus – response (i.e. all behaviour, no matter how complex, can be reduced to a simple stimulus – response association).

The History of Behaviourism

* Pavlov (1903) published the results of an experiment on conditioning after originally studying digestion in dogs.

* Watson (1913) launches the behavioural school of psychology (classical conditioning), publishing an article, "Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It".

* Watson and Rayner (1920) conditioned an orphan called Albert B (aka Little Albert) to fear a white rat.

* Thorndike (1905) formalised the "Law of Effect".

* Skinner (1936) wrote "The Behavior of Organisms" and introduced the concepts of operant conditioning and shaping.

* Clark Hull’s (1943) Principles of Behavior was published.

* B.F. Skinner (1948) published Walden II in which he described a utopian society founded upon behaviorist principles.

* Bandura (1963) publishes a book called the "Social Leaning Theory" which combines both cognitive and behavioral frameworks.

* B.F. Skinner (1971) published his book Beyond Freedom and Dignity, where he argues that free will is an illusion.

Behaviourism Summary

Key Features

Methodology

Basic Assumptions

Areas of Application
  • Psychology should be seen as a science, to be studied in a scientific manner (usually in a laboratory)
  • Behaviourism is primarily concerned with observable behaviour, as opposed to internal events like thinking and emotion
  • Behaviour is the result of stimulus – response (i.e. all behaviour, no matter how complex, can be reduced to a simple stimulus – response association)
  • Behaviour is determined by the environment (e.g. conditioning)
  • Gender Role Development
  • Therapies (e.g. Flooding)
  • Phobias
  • Addictions (Aversion Therapy)
  • Scientific Methods
  • Relationships
  • Language
  • Moral Development

Strengths

Weaknesses
  • Scientific
  • Highly applicable (e.g. therapy)
  • Emphasises objective measurement
  • Many experiments to support theories
  • Identified comparisons between animals (Pavlov) and humans (Watson & Rayner Little Albert)
  • Ignores mediational processes
  • Ignores biology (e.g. testosterone)
  • Too deterministic (little free-will)
  • Experiments – low ecological validity
  • Humanism – can’t compare animals to humans
  • Humanism - rejects scientific method (low ecological validity)
  • Reductionist

Evaluation of the Behaviourist Approach

Humanism (e.g. Rogers) rejects the scientific method of using experiments to measure and control variables because it creates an artificial environment and has low ecological validity.

Humanism also rejects the nomothetic approach (which views everyone as operating from the same universal laws) of behaviourism as they view humans as being unique and believe humans cannot be compared with animals (who aren’t susceptible to demand characteristics). This is known as an idiographic approach.

Humanistic psychology also assumes that humans have free will (personal agency) to make their own decisions in life and do not follow the determanistic laws of science.

The Psychodynamic Approach (Freud) criticise behaviourism as it does not take into account the unconscious mind’s influence on behaviour, and instead focuses on external observable behaviour. Freud as rejects that idea that people are born a blank slate (tabula rasa) and states that people are born with instincts (e.g. Eros and Thanatos).

Biological Appoach – Chromosomes and hormones (testosterone) influence our behaviour too, in addition to the enviroment.

Cognitive Psychology - Mediation processes occur between stimulus and response, such as memory, thinking, problem solving etc.

Classical Conditioning | Pavlov Game | Operant Conditioning | Behaviour Therapy | Behaviourism Studies

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