PSYC1004 Study Guide - Final Guide: Classical Conditioning, Ethology, Operant Conditioning
Behaviourism and Social-Cognitive Theories
Social-Cognitive Theories
• Developed by academic psychologists.
• Attempt to obtain strong empirical support.
• Origin: behaviourism
• Influences: cognitive and social psychology
Behaviourism
• "Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up and I'll
guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select" eg:
doctor, lawyer, artist, etc.
• Started in early 20th century
• Watson and Skinner
• The main proposition - psychologists need to focus on observable behaviour and disregard non-
observable, subjective psychological factors (the mind, thoughts, cognitions, feelings, awareness the
unconscious).
• The cause of human (and animal) behaviour is entirely external (in the environment).
• A strong empirical traditions:
o Rigorous methods.
o There is a strong focus on what can be observed and controlled.
• Much research: Animal behaviour - but the findings have often been generalised to humans.
• Personality is a fiction
o Behaviour is learned or unlearned.
o There is no internal personality structure that can be scientifically investigated.
• Every person is an empty organism.
Classical Conditioning
• Ivan Pavlov discovered the phenomenon in the late 19th century.
1. Neutral stimulus → no response
2. Neutral stimulus + unconditioned stimulus → unconditioned response
3. Conditioned stimulus → conditioned response
• Eg: Dogs conditioned to produce saliva from a stimulus that was related to feeding, eg: a ticker or bell.
John Watson
• The founder of behaviourism.
• Highly critical of the introspection methods in psychology - unreliable and unmeasurable.
• S-R Model
• Conditioning is automatic/not subject to the control of the will.
• Internal mental processes do not mediate nor cause behavioural responses.
• Animals and humans - highly malleable, conditioning can instil any kind of behaviour.
• An experiment with little Albert:
1. Neutral stimulus (rat) → no response
2. Neutral stimulus (rat) + unconditioned stimulus (loud sound) → unconditioned response (fear)
3. Conditioned stimulus (rat) → conditioned response (fear)
• Watson argued that learning shapes individual differences.
o Individual differences are due to individuals having different (unique) learning histories.
o S-R patterns - individuals learned through past conditioning (in a unique way) how to respond
to different stimuli.
o Individuals can be changed through conditioning.
Skinner's Operant Conditioning
• Operant conditioning - the organism "operates" on the environment and produces consequences.
• Classical conditioning: Stimulus → Response
• Operant conditioning: Response Stimulus
• External (environmental) contingencies influence behaviour.
• Response occurs before the stimulus but the stimulus will determine if the response is to increase or
decrease in frequency.
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Social-cognitive theories: developed by academic psychologists, attempt to obtain strong empirical support, origin: behaviourism. Started in early 20th century: watson and skinner. The main proposition - psychologists need to focus on observable behaviour and disregard non- observable, subjective psychological factors (the mind, thoughts, cognitions, feelings, awareness the unconscious). Personality is a fiction: behaviour is learned or unlearned, there is no internal personality structure that can be scientifically investigated. Ivan pavlov discovered the phenomenon in the late 19th century: neutral stimulus no response, neutral stimulus + unconditioned stimulus unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus conditioned response. Eg: dogs conditioned to produce saliva from a stimulus that was related to feeding, eg: a ticker or bell. The founder of behaviourism: highly critical of the introspection methods in psychology - unreliable and unmeasurable, animals and humans - highly malleable, conditioning can instil any kind of behaviour, an experiment with little albert: Conditioning is automatic/not subject to the control of the will.
