The behaviorist approach assumes that all human behavior is learned through conditioning experiences with the environment. Classical conditioning involves learning through associations, like Pavlov's dogs learning to associate food with a bell. Operant conditioning involves learning through consequences of actions, where behaviors are reinforced through reward or punishment. Behaviorists like Watson, Pavlov, and Skinner conducted experiments demonstrating how conditioning shapes behavior, influencing fields like education and phobia treatment. Their focus on observable and measurable behavior helped establish psychology as a science.

1. The behaviourist
approach
PYB1
Q1

2. Give me a dozen healthy infants,
well formed, and my own specified
world to bring them up in. I’ll
guarantee to take any one at
random and train him to become
any type of specialist I might
select—doctor, lawyer, artist,
merchant-chief, and yes, even
beggarman and thief”
John Watson

3. Assumptions
 The behaviourist approach assumes that
everything about human behaviour is learned
through experience.
 This learning occurs through either classical or
operant conditioning.
 Classical conditioning involves learning through
association.
 Operant conditioning involves learning through
the consequences of actions = reward
(reinforcement) and punishment.
 Behaviour is a result of stimulus-response.

4. Pavlov
 Pavlov discovered classical conditioning
by observing dogs behaviour at meal
times.

5. Classical conditioning in
humans
 Menzies (1937) used the response of
vasoconstriction (constriction of blood vessels
making the skin look pale). Every time a
participant heard a buzzer, he placed his hand in
a bucket of ice-cold water. When he became
conditioned to this, whenever he heard the
buzzer the vasoconstriction took place without
putting his hands in the water.

6. Skinner
 Skinner developed the theory of operant
conditioning by conducting experiments
with animals such as rats and pigeons.
 One of his famous experiments involved a
rat in a Skinner box. The rat had to learn
to press the lever that would provide food
and avoid the lever that would give an
electric shock

8. Reinforcement and punishment
 Reinforcement is anything that increases
the likelihood of a behaviour repeating
 Reinforcement can be either positive or
negative.
 Positive reinforcement is reward
 Negative reinforcement involves removing
something painful.
 Punishment is anything that reduces the
likelihood of a behaviour repeating.

9. Influences on Psychology
 The behaviourist approach is one of the
most scientific approaches in psychology.
 They focus on behaviour because that is
what can be observed and measured.
Therefore, they have added credibility to
those aiming to get psychology
recognised as a science

10. Influences on Psychology
 The second major influence is the
practical use of the approach.
 Watson and Rayner showed how a phobia
could be learned. Because of this,
behaviourist techniques can be used to
treat phobias (systematic desensitisation)
 It is also used widely to shape the
behaviour of children.

11. Influences on Psychology
 The third main influence is the emphasis
on learning from the environment (nurture)
 This approach to behaviour had a big
influence on educational policy.
 If learning comes from the environment
then achievement will be based on
creating the right environment.

12. Activity
 In small groups, come up with as many ‘real life’
examples of behaviour shaped by classical and
operant conditioning as you can.
 When you have completed the examples, think
of as many examples of positive reinforcement,
negative reinforcement and punishment as you
can.
 Put your ideas on flip chart paper