Outline and evaluate the behaviourist approach (16 marks)

The behaviourist approach has four main assumptions. The first being is that all behaviours are learnt from the environment. The second assumption is that animals and humans learn in the same way which has resulted in research being carried on animals so that the results can be extrapolated to humans. Behaviourists believe that psychology should be scientific and objective which is why they mainly use laboratory experiments. They also mainly focus on behaviour that’s is observable. There are two main areas of conditioning which behaviourist have researched into.The first is classical conditioning which states that behaviours are learnt by association. A main example of this is Ivan Pavlov’s dog experiment. Pavlov managed to condition dogs to salivate when they heard a bell. At first when the dogs where presented the food they salivated. The food was the unconditioned stimulus and the salivation was the unconditioned response. He then introduced a neutral stimulus which was the bell. Eventually the dogs salivated when no food was given and just the bell was sounded. The bell was then the conditioned stimulus and the salivation was the conditioned response.The other type of conditioning is operant conditioning which states that learning is an active process and that behaviours is learnt on consequences and reinforcement. If there is positive reinforcement for a behaviour such as a reward is it likely to be repeated. There is also negative reinforcement which occurs when an action stops something unpleasant from happening. If there is punishment the behaviour won’t be repeated. Skinners box is an example of research which looks at positive and negative reinforcement. In one box there was a hungry rat and a level which when activated released a food pellet. The rat soon learnt that the pushing the lever would result in food and would go straight there once put in. In another box a rat was placed and was subjected to a current. There was a lever which when pressed would stop the current. Once the rat hit the lever once it quickly learnt to go to the lever to stop the current.There are many advantages and disadvantages of this approach. One of the main advantages is that there is a lot of evidence to back up theories. Pavlov showed that classical conditioning leads to learning by association. This alongside the scientific methods adds credibility to psychology. Laboratory experiments were used with high control of extraneous variables. Allowing the methods to be replicated and the data obtained to be objective and measurable. Another advantage of the approach is that there are many practical applications. Systematic desensitisation which is based on classical conditioning has been used in the treatment of phobias. Classical and operant conditioning have also been used to explain attachment. However, some critics argue that animals are cognitively and physiologically different to humans, so the data cannot be applied to humans. The approach is also criticised for not taking human free will and biological factors into consideration causing their theories to be described as overly simplified. They argue that due to the many different factors involved behaviour cannot be explained simply.