Eduqas A Level Psychology Behaviourist Approach Exam Questions

About Eduqas A Level Psychology Behaviourist Approach

The behaviourist approach in Component 1 argues that behaviour is learned from the environment through conditioning. You need its three assumptions, applied to real behaviours such as phobias, one therapy (aversion therapy or systematic desensitisation), and the classic study by Watson and Rayner (1920), 'Conditioned emotional reactions', usually known as Little Albert. The linked contemporary debate is about using conditioning techniques to control the behaviour of children. Examiners expect accurate use of terms such as UCS, NS, CS and CR, a detailed account of Albert's conditioning and generalisation, and sharp evaluation of the study's ethics and its weak, single-case evidence.

What you need to know

• Blank slate At birth the mind is a tabula rasa. Behaviour is not innate but shaped by experiences in the environment.
• Learning through conditioning In classical conditioning a neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus until it produces a conditioned response (Pavlov). In operant conditioning behaviour is strengthened by positive or negative reinforcement and weakened by punishment (Skinner).
• Humans and animals learn in similar ways Because the laws of learning are thought to be the same across species, findings from rats, pigeons and dogs can be generalised to humans.
• Watson and Rayner (1920) Little Albert Albert showed no fear of a white rat at about nine months. From about 11 months the rat was paired with a loud noise made by striking a steel bar behind his head; after seven pairings over two sessions he cried and crawled away at the sight of the rat alone. The fear generalised to similar furry objects such as a rabbit, a dog, a fur coat and a Santa Claus mask, and was still present, though weaker, a month later.
• Aversion therapy or systematic desensitisation Aversion therapy pairs an unwanted behaviour with an unpleasant stimulus (for example disulfiram makes alcohol cause nausea). Systematic desensitisation (Wolpe) teaches relaxation, builds an anxiety hierarchy with the client and works up it gradually, using reciprocal inhibition because relaxation and fear cannot coexist.
• Conditioning techniques with children Token economies, star charts and time-out apply operant conditioning in homes and schools. Supporters point to clear, quick results; critics argue rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation (Lepper, Greene and Nisbett, 1973) and that it controls rather than explains behaviour.

Common mistakes in Behaviourist Approach

• Labelling the rat as the unconditioned stimulus. The loud noise was the UCS; the rat started as the neutral stimulus and became the conditioned stimulus.
• Saying Albert's fear was removed at the end. He left the hospital before any attempt at extinction, which is a major ethical criticism.
• Confusing negative reinforcement with punishment. Negative reinforcement removes something unpleasant and so increases a behaviour; punishment decreases a behaviour.
• Treating Little Albert as strong evidence for all human fears. It was a case study of one infant with loosely recorded observations, so generalisation is limited.

Try three Behaviourist Approach exam-style questions