Who is considered the founder of the behavioral approach? John B. Watson is considered the founder of the behavioral approach.
What is a stimulus in behavioral terms? A stimulus is a physical energy source from the environment that affects a sense organ and produces a response.
What did Thorndike’s “Law of Effect” state? The Law of Effect states that responses followed by satisfying consequences are more likely to be repeated, and those followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated.
In the “Little Albert” experiment, what was the Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)? The Unconditioned Stimulus was the loud, frightening noise.
What is the process of learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus through association with an unconditioned stimulus? This process is called Classical Conditioning.
Who is the founder of Operant Conditioning? B.F. Skinner is the founder of Operant Conditioning.
What is reinforcement in operant conditioning? Reinforcement is any consequence that strengthens or increases the probability of a behavior.
What is the process of gradually reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior called? This process is called Shaping.
Explain why behaviorists were not interested in studying the “mind” or “unconscious.” Behaviorists believed that the mind and unconscious were unobservable, subjective concepts that could not be studied objectively using the scientific method. They focused solely on observable behavior.
How does negative reinforcement differ from punishment? Negative reinforcement strengthens a behavior by removing an unpleasant stimulus, while punishment weakens a behavior by presenting an unpleasant stimulus or removing a pleasant one.
Explain how Watson’s view of learning is reflected in his “dozen healthy infants” quote. The quote reflects his belief that learning and environment are all-powerful in shaping behavior, overriding innate talents, tendencies, or heredity.
What is the significance of the “Little Albert” experiment for the behavioral approach? It demonstrated that emotional responses (like fear) could be learned through classical conditioning, supporting the behaviorist claim that complex behaviors are built from simple learning processes.
How does extinction occur in classical conditioning? Extinction occurs when the Conditioned Stimulus (CS) is repeatedly presented without the Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS), leading to a gradual weakening and disappearance of the Conditioned Response (CR).
Contrast the focus of classical and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning focuses on involuntary, reflexive behaviors and their association with stimuli, while operant conditioning focuses on voluntary behaviors and their consequences.
What is the role of the “Skinner box” in operant conditioning research? The Skinner box is a controlled environment used to study operant conditioning, allowing precise measurement of how an animal’s behavior is shaped by its consequences (e.g., pressing a lever for food).
How does spontaneous recovery demonstrate that extinction is not unlearning? Spontaneous recovery—the reappearance of an extinguished response after a rest period—shows that the original learning (the CS-UCS association) is suppressed, not erased, during extinction.
Explain the concept of “successive approximations” in shaping. Successive approximations involve reinforcing behaviors that are closer and closer to the final desired behavior, gradually guiding the organism to perform the target action.
A teacher gives a student a sticker for every book they read. The student starts reading more books. What is the sticker in this case? The sticker is a Positive Reinforcer.
A person jumps at the sound of a buzzer because it always signals a mild electric shock. The buzzer is now a ________. Conditioned Stimulus (CS).
To stop a dog from barking, an owner sprays it with water. The barking decreases. What process is this? This is an example of Punishment.
A child is allowed to leave the dinner table after eating five bites of vegetables. This increases vegetable eating. What type of consequence is leaving the table? Leaving the table is a Negative Reinforcer (removal of an unpleasant situation—being at the table).
A rat in a Skinner box stops pressing a lever when food pellets are no longer delivered. What process is this? This is Extinction.
A company has a “Employee of the Month” program to boost productivity. Which principle of learning is this using? This is using Positive Reinforcement.
After a car accident at an intersection, a driver feels anxious every time they approach that same intersection. How can classical conditioning explain this? The intersection (Neutral Stimulus) became associated with the accident (UCS causing fear). The intersection is now a CS that elicits anxiety (CR) on its own.
A parent wants to teach their child to put their toys away. How could they use shaping? They could first reward the child for picking up one toy, then for putting a few toys in the box, and finally only for putting all toys away completely.
