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Psychology Factsheets
www.curriculum-press.co.uk Number 92
The behaviourist approach to psychology
This Factsheet summarises the assumptions of the behaviourist
1. Make sure that you know these types of learning very well
approach and its strengths and weaknesses. It also covers the
and can explain them clearly. You need to know all of the key
research methods used, relevant debates, plus some applications
terms involved. Typical examiners’ comments include:
and key studies. Terms in bold are explained in the glossary.
y Vicarious reinforcement and negative reinforcement were
poorly understood.
Exam Hint: The examiners comment that “knowledge and
y There is real misunderstanding about the way in which
understanding of the actual psychological approaches are
frequently quite weak.” Make sure that you know them well! classical conditioning works.
y Candidates do not understand the difference between
negative reinforcement and punishment.
What is the behaviourist approach to psychology?
• In 1913, John Watson (of ‘Little Albert’ fame) founded the 2. Classical conditioning is described and evaluated in Factsheet
behaviourist approach by setting out its main assumptions in number 55. Operant conditioning is described and evaluate in
an article in the journal Psychological Review. Factsheet number 17.
• John Watson stated in his article that “Psychology as the
behaviourist views it is a purely objective experimental branch Exam Hint: If an exam question presents a scenario or example
of natural science. Its theoretical goal is the prediction and of behaviour, make sure that you apply your knowledge of
control of behaviour. Introspection forms no essential part of behaviourism to the scenario. Try not to give a set answer
its methods...” (Watson, 1913) which does not apply directly to the question.
• Behaviourism dominated psychology until the 1950s when
cognitive psychology began to take precedence. Methodology
• More recently ‘neo-behaviourism’ has taken cognitive processes • Behaviourism takes a very scientific approach to studying
into account and has developed social learning theory. behaviour. It largely uses laboratory experiments, often using
• The behaviourist approach has several names; it is also known non-human animals.
as behavioural psychology, learning theory or the learning • The strengths and weaknesses of the experimental method can
approach! be applied when discussing such behavioural studies. For
example, experimental methods have the advantages of being
Exam Hint: The behaviourist approach relates to many different able to strictly control variables and cause and effect between
topics which you will study in your course. For example, variables can be inferred. However, they have the
behaviourism is used to explain how we learn aggressive disadvantages of lacking ecological validity if
behaviour and how we become attached to a caregiver. In the done in a laboratory and the participants may not
exam, you should be able to refer to the behaviourist approach behave naturally as they are aware of being
in relation to other topics. studied.
• It is also debated just how much non-human
Its main assumptions animal behaviour can tell us about human behaviour.
• All of our behaviour is learnt through experience in the
environment after birth.
• We are all born as a blank slate (tabula rasa). Relation to debates
• When studying behaviour, the focus should be Some debates which are relevant to behaviourism include:
on the laws of learning (conditioning). • The nature-nurture debate: behaviourism believes that we learn
• We should study behaviour only in terms of everything, falling completely on the nurture side of the debate.
what we can observe. • The freewill versus determinism debate: behaviourism takes an
• The laws of learning are universal, applying the extreme view as it believes that we learn all behaviour from the
same to both non-human animals and humans. environment and that freewill is an illusion.
• Reductionism: behaviourism assumes that complex behaviour
is the sum of all past learning.
• Behaviourism considers that we learn all of our behaviour
through:
Exam hint: Make sure that you know what these debates are
o Classical conditioning = by associating one thing with and can explain how they relate to behaviourism.
another.
o Operant conditioning = by the consequences of what we
do. Exam hint: Can you compare approaches? For example, can
o Social learning theory = by observing and imitating others. you compare how the humanistic and behaviourist approaches
view the concept of freewill? You may be asked to do this in
the exam.

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Strengths and weaknesses of the behaviourist approach

Table 1: Evaluating the behaviourist approach
Strengths Weaknesses
It takes a very scientific approach to studying behaviour, using It is reductionist, explaining behaviour only in terms of simple
experimental methods which are objective, controlled and learning principles and ignoring mental processes (e.g.,
replicable. emotions, thinking).
It has many practical applications. For example, treatments based As it proposes that we are all born as a blank slate, it ignores
on this approach are effective for some mental disorders. genetic factors in behaviour (nature).
It provides arguments against the nature side of the nature-nurture It discounts the qualitative differences between non-human
debate. animals and humans.
It can explain many types of behaviour using just a few simple It is deterministic, viewing all behaviour as determined by
principles. environment and past experiences, and disregards free will.

Exam Hint: You can apply these strengths and weaknesses when evaluating various types of behaviour, such as behaviourist
explanations of mental illness, attachment or aggression.

What are the applications of this approach?

• It has advanced understanding of many aspects of behaviour, such as how we learn language or develop mental disorders.
• Operant conditioning is often used to train animals.
• It has many practical applications, such as in treatments for mental disorders (see textboxes 3 and 4).

3. Aversion therapy is based on classical conditioning. Whenever a person does a particular undesirable behaviour they are repeatedly
presented with an aversive (unpleasant) stimulus at the same time. The person learns that something horrible happens at the same time
as the behaviour. It is a quick method and takes less effort from the patient than in other treatments (e.g., psychotherapy) but it only
targets symptoms, not causes.

4. Systematic desensitisation is based on classical conditioning. It replaces maladaptive behaviours with adaptive behaviours. For
example, when treating a phobia, the fear response to a stimulus is replaced with a new response, such as relaxation. The person is
introduced to the fear-provoking stimulus very gradually, in a hierarchy of stages, while using the new response. It is an ethical
treatment as the patient has control over moving through the stages but it provides little insight into the causes of the problem.

Key research studies

Table 2 shows a selection of behaviourist research studies. Exam Hint: You may be required to know some of these studies
in detail.
Table 2: Some behaviourist research studies
Research study Description
Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961) They investigated whether young children learn aggression through observing and imitating the
('Bobo doll' study) behaviour of adults. They found that children exposed to aggressive adult models were significantly
more aggressive than children not exposed to aggressive models.
Watson and Rayner (1920) They investigated whether a child could learn to fear something through classical conditioning.
('Little Albert' study) They presented a baby boy, Albert B, (11 months-old), with a white rat while simultaneously hitting
a steel bar behind his head (to create fear). This was done seven times overall, in two sessions held
one week apart. Then, when shown the rat on its own, little Albert began to cry; he had acquired a
phobia of the rat.
Skinner (1948) He investigated whether animals could acquire superstitious behaviours. Eight pigeons were placed
(Superstition in pigeons) in Skinner boxes and given a food pellet at set intervals, regardless of their behaviour. After several
days two observers recorded the pigeons' behaviour as the time interval was increased. They noted
that six pigeons performed many repetitive behaviours (e.g., hopping, head tossing) before the
food was given even though the delivery of food did not depend on their behaviour.
Pickens and Thompson (1968) They investigated the effects of cocaine as a positive reinforcement for rats. They fitted three
(Rats and cocaine study) laboratory-reared rats with intravenous devices so that they could self-administer a dose of cocaine
when a lever was pressed. They found that cocaine reinforces behaviour. The rats learnt to press
the levers to get the cocaine. When the fixed-interval between lever pressing and receiving cocaine
increased the rats pressed the levers quicker so that the total reinforcement per hour stayed the
same. However, as the dosage increased, the response behaviour decreases as the effects last
longer.
Acknowledgements: This Psychology Factsheet was researched and written by Amanda Albon
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Worksheet: Behaviourist Approach

Name
1. Give two assumptions of the behaviourist approach.

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2. Explain how the following terms relate to the assumptions of behaviourism:
objective, environment, tabula rasa, learning, observe

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3. Give two strengths and two weaknesses of the behaviourist approach.

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4. For the following debates, explain which view the behaviourist approach takes and explain how a different approach in psychology
views the same debate.
(a) Nature versus nurture debate

(b) Freewill versus determinism debate

Glossary
Example Exam Question Adaptive: Behaviour that helps a person or animal to function and survive
Describe the behaviourist approach to psychology (4 marks).
In your answer, you should describe the main assumptions of this approach.
in its environment.
For example, you could state that the behaviourist approach views human Introspection: The process of looking inwards at our own mental
behaviour as being acquired through learning, that it explains behaviour experiences (e.g., thought processes) in order to break them down into
through the principles of classical and operant conditioning, that social parts and analyse them.
learning theory considers the cognitive aspects of learning and so on. You Maladaptive: Behaviour which does not help a person or animal to function
must describe the behaviourist approach and not confuse it with another and survive in its environment.
approach. As the question is for 4 marks, your answer should include at least Objective: Free from bias, not affected by emotions or opinions.
four main points. Qualitative: The quality of something (rather than the quantity of
something).
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