1. Behaviourism
:

2. Behaviourism starts...
With this old guy!
Ivan Pavlov.

3. What did Pavlov get up to in his lab?

4. There are lots of Pavlov’s dog
cartoons...

5. Classical Conditioning
• First Pavlov established that meat caused the
dog to salivate.

6. Classical Conditioning
• Then Pavlov established that a tone did not
cause the dog to salivate

7. Classical Conditioning
• He then presented the tone with the food
• Note that the dog is salivating in response to the
food at this time.

8. Classical Conditioning
• After several pairings of the tone and
food, Pavlov found that the dog would salivate
to the tone when it was presented alone.

9. A modern day version of Pavlov’s
dog...

10. Classical Conditioning
• To condition means to mould someone or
something to a certain way of behaving or
thinking.
• Within classical conditioning there are certain
stimuli and responses which make up the
results seen in Pavlov’s dog.
• These are; unconditioned
stimulus, conditioned stimulus, unconditioned
response and conditioned response.

11. Match the term to its meaning
Unconditioned
stimulus
Conditioned
stimulus
Unconditioned
response
Conditioned
response
The innate (reflexive) response to a
stimulus that has not been conditioned.
The stimulus which, after repeated
pairings with the unconditioned
stimulus, produces the response.
The stimulus that causes the reflex response
before conditioning. It is the stimulus that
naturally produces the response.
The reflexive response that occurs after
exposure to the conditioned stimulus.

12. Behaviourism continues with....
Thorndike!

13. What did Thorndike get up to in the
lab?

14. Operant Conditioning
• This is the other side of behaviourism...
• It works on the assumption of learning
through reward and punishment.
• The main influences are; positive
reinforcement (reward), negative
reinforcement and punishment.

15. Operant conditioning
• The “Skinner box” was
used in order to
investigate the impact of
reward and punishment
on behaviour.
• Their reward was food
and they were required
to learn (in a variety of
ways) how to get it.

16. Examples of Positive Reinforcement
• The worker gets paid for working.
• The dog gets a treat for returning when called.
• The cat gets comfort for sleeping on the bed.
• The wolf gets a meal for hunting the deer.
• The child gets dessert for eating her vegetables
• The toddler gets picked up and comforted for
screaming. (note: rewarding for toddler not
parent )

17. Examples of Negative Reinforcement
• The choke collar is loosened when the dog
moves closer to the trainer.
• The reins are loosened when the horse slows
down.
• The car buzzer turns off when you put on your
seatbelt.
• The torture is stopped when the victim
confesses.
• The baby stops crying when his mother feeds
him. (negative reinforcement for mother)

18. Examples of Punishment
• The peeing on the rug (by a puppy) is
punished with a swat of the newspaper.
• The driver's speeding results in a ticket and a
fine.
• The baby's hand is burned when she touches
the hot stove.

19. Key assumptions of
behaviourism

20. Key assumptions of behaviourism
• When born our
mind is 'tabula
rasa' (a blank
slate).

21. Key assumptions of behaviourism
• People have no
free will – a
person’s
environment
determines their
behaviour. We are
puppets on strings!

22. Key assumptions of behaviourism
• 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.

23. Key assumptions of behaviourism
• 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.

24. Key assumptions of behaviourism
• 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.

25. Key assumptions of behaviourism
• All behaviour is
learnt from the
environment. We
learn new
behaviour through
classical or operant
conditioning.

26. Operant conditioning:
• Abnormal behaviour can result from reinforcement.
For example, the early stages of drug abuse can be
encouraged by positive reinforcement because of the
pleasure or comfort associated with drug use.
•

27. Behaviourism to explain abnormality
• From a behavioural perspective, depression results from a
lack of positive reinforcements (rewards) or an excess of
unpleasant experiences, (punishment). For
example, unemployment and retirement can contribute can
lead to a loss of positive social reinforcements, reduced
income and status. Life changes can also lead to unpleasant
experiences such as the shame and stigma of unemployment.

28. • Lewinsohn showed that depressed people
received fewer positive reinforcements and
are likely to have had more unpleasant
experiences than non depressed people.

29. “It’s all very well for dogs and cats...”
• But what about people?

30. The Behaviourist Model of
Abnormality
• Using the theory of classical conditioning, explain
how a young child may become phobic of spiders
• Using the theory of operant conditioning, explain
how a person may become a drug addict.
•