What’s it

all about?
 All behaviour is determined by our genetics

 You cannot control/manipulate behaviour

 You are born a ‘blank slate’

 Animal behaviour can be applied to humans

 Behaviour is learnt from the environment

In pairs and on your mini-whiteboards, write down your
own definition of what BEHAVIOURISM is.

We will come back to this at the end of the lesson

HINTS:
What effects our behaviour?
How do we learn?
What do we learn from?

What behaviour systems do they use in school?

 1: To know and understand the basic
assumptions of the behaviourist approach

2: To be able to explain some of the

evidence in support of the behaviourist
approach

3: To be able to evaluate the

behaviourist approach
 Silence means you never hate me
silence means you will again date me
silence means you need some time
silence means you are fine
silence means the hopes are alive
tears came out of my eyes
silence is no more surprise

silence is only you know

silence is what you show
silence is to only glow
silence means only to give
silence means you will forgive
tears pours out of my eyes
silence is no more surprise...
 Am a
blank
NO!!!! Behaviour slate!!!
is learnt and
depended upon
our interactions
and experiences.
Law of Effect: Behaviour
is followed by a
consequence. Psychology should focus
Good = Behaviour on observable.
stamped Behaviour=Environment
Bad=Behaviour not Can be manipulated and
repeated shaped

The Laws of
learning in animals
could be applied to
humans.
 Burrhus Frederic Skinner
(1904-90)
Skinner Box

 Psychology should focus Hungry rat into box

on using scientific 1 leaver = food
methods to make
Rat pressed leaver over
observations of behaviour and over
and its consequences

 All behaviour is learnt as

a result of consequences

 This is operant
conditioning
POSITIVE Reinforcement
 Feeling of satisfaction
 Increases likelihood of
desired response
NEGATIVE Reinforcement
 Removing an unpleasant
experience to increase
the likelihood of desired
behaviour

 E.G. Teacher giving  E.G. Helping with the

praise for excellent washing up so your mum
piece of work. will stop moaning.

 E.G. Smacking a child

when naughty.
• Where can this be applied:

• Education
• Prisons
• Psychiatric institutes

•Can also be used to modify speech in

autistic children
 My Name is
Ivan Pavlov!
1849-1936
 Unconditioned
Unconditioned Stimulus Salivation

Unconditioned Conditioned
Stimulus Unconditioned Response
Stimulus

Conditioned Conditioned
Stimulus Response
You must now put together a
little acting scene.....
1: You must act out a modern
day ‘Little Albert’
Experiment.
2: You have 5 minutes before
they will be performed.
The behaviourist approach The approach rejects possible role
ignores the mental processes of biological approach.
that are involved in learning, The approach provides strong
unlike the cognitive arguments for the nurture side of
approach, which views these the nature-nurture debate.
processes as important
The use of animals in applying laws
Behaviourist view humans as of learning to humans has been
passive learners at the mercy criticized.
of the environment unlike
Behaviourists’ use of rigorous,
the humanistic approach.
experimental methods of
The approach has provided a research enhances the credibility
number of practical of Psychology as a scientific
applications and techniques discipline
to shape behaviour, E.G.
Rewards in education.
The principles of operant &
classical conditioning do not
account for spontaneous
behaviour.
What is behaviourism?
Re-write your definitions from the beginning of
the lesson.

 Make sure you include – basic assumptions

about the approach
 Key studies which support the approach
 Psychologists should focus on observable behaviour, not minds, if it
is to be considered as a scientific discipline

 All behaviour is learnt, or determined by, interactions and

experiences in our environment

 Operant Conditioning is concerned with the use of consequences or

reinforcements to modify or shape behaviour

 Classical conditioning demonstrates how a new association can be

made between a neutral stimulus and an already existing response

 There are many practical applications of the behaviourist

approach, for example the modification of speech in autistic
children.
Create a leaflet giving factual information of
OPERANT and CLASSICAL CONDITIONING.

You must include:

A description of what both approaches
suggest about learning.
The research which supports both
approaches of conditioning (aims, design,
results etc…)
Pictures of the experiments (printed or
drawn!)