A behaviourist approach
Posted by: adrianuni | May 3, 2008 |
I found this excellent table explaining the behaviourist approach
http://simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/behaviourism.html
Behaviourism Summary
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Key Features
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Methodology
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Basic Assumptions
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Areas of Application
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- Psychology should be seen as a science, to be studied in a scientific manner (usually in a laboratory)
- Behaviourism is primarily concerned with observable behaviour, as opposed to internal events like thinking and emotion
- Behaviour is the result of stimulus – response (i.e. all behaviour, no matter how complex, can be reduced to a simple stimulus – response association)
- Behaviour is determined by the environment (e.g. conditioning)
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- Gender Role Development
- Therapies (e.g. Flooding)
- Phobias
- Addictions (Aversion Therapy)
- Scientific Methods
- Relationships
- Language
- Moral Development
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Strengths
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Weaknesses
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- Scientific
- Highly applicable (e.g. therapy)
- Emphasises objective measurement
- Many experiments to support theories
- Identified comparisons between animals (Pavlov) and humans (Watson & Rayner Little Albert)
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- Ignores mediational processes
- Ignores biology (e.g. testosterone)
- Too deterministic (little free-will)
- Experiments – low ecological validity
- Humanism – can’t compare animals to humans
- Humanism – rejects scientific method (low ecological validity)
- Reductionist
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