behaviour

1. The Behaviourist
Perspective
Classical Conditioning
(Pavlov)
Operant Conditioning
(Skinner)

2. Todays Lesson:
The Behaviourist Perspective
By the end of this lesson you will be able to…
Tell me what Operant Conditioning is…
Apply at least ONE example
Evaluate the Behaviourist Perspective for
Operant Conditioning

3. B.F Skinner studied how animals
can learn from the consequences
of their actions…. He specifically
focussed on Reinforcement
Reinforcement strengthens the
likelihood of behaviour re-occurring.
We know Skinner did this on a rat
but we can apply it to humans….

4. How does reinforcement
effect out behaviour?

5. Operant Conditioning

6. Positive Reinforcement
This is something desirable is obtained to
make behaviour happen again… to
behave the same way again in order to
receive the reward.
Example?

7. Negative Reinforcement
This is something undesirable is
removed when the desirable
behaviour happens. It is the
removal of something
unpleasant…
Example?

8. Punishment
This is when something undesirable is
received after a behaviour to make it stop.
Punishment is used in an attempt to
decrease a behaviour
Example?

9. Positive & Negative Reinforcement

10. Operant Conditioning
Positive Reinforcement, Negative
reinforcement, or punishment?
A child gets £5 for washing the car.
Positive Reinforcement

11. Operant Conditioning
Positive Reinforcement, Negative
reinforcement, or punishment?
A parent shouts at a child for
crossing the street without looking.
Punishment

12. Operant Conditioning
Positive Reinforcement, Negative
reinforcement, or punishment?
A salesman stops hassling his customer
when he agrees to buy upgrades to a
product.
Negative reinforcement

13. Operant Conditioning
Positive Reinforcement, Negative
reinforcement, or punishment?
Your teacher phones home when you
don’t complete two pieces of homework.
Punishment

14. Operant Conditioning
Positive Reinforcement, Negative
reinforcement, or punishment?
Your teacher asks your parents to nag
you until you complete your
homework.
Negative reinforcement

15. Operant Conditioning
Positive Reinforcement, Negative
reinforcement, or punishment?
You receive a prize for finishing 2nd in a
race.
Positive Reinforcement

16. Operant Conditioning
This was investigated by a
psychologist called B.F Skinner.
He trained rats to press a lever using
both types of reinforcement.

17. Operant Conditioning

18. Operant Conditioning
 He used positive reinforcement to train
the rat, by giving the rat a pellet of food
each time it pressed the lever.
 This caused the rat to learn that the
lever = food, so it continued to press the
lever.

19. Operant Conditioning
 He used negative reinforcement to train the
rat, by running an electric current through the
floor of the cage.
 When the rat pressed the lever, the electric
shock would stop.
 This taught the rat that lever = getting rid of
something bad.

20. Operant Conditioning

21. Operant Conditioning
This study shows that
behaviour is learnt through
operant conditioning
i.e.: that reinforcement
(positively or negatively)
makes behaviour become
repeated.

22. Explain how stopping you
going out for a week for
missing your 10:30 curfew is
a punishment & NOT negative
reinforcement?

23. Using positive reinforcement
explain why people may
continue to starve
themselves when they have
an eating disorder…?

24. Operant Conditioning in
Health & Social Care….
How could we use NEGATIVE
REINFORCEMENT in health &
social care settings?

25. Applying the Behaviourist
Perspective…
Q. Give an everyday example of how
staff in an early years nursery could
use positive reinforcement with a
child who behaves well or shares
their toys.

26. Applying the Behaviourist
Perspective…
Q. Why would child psychologist’s say that
negative reinforcement is better than
punishment?

27. The Behaviourist Perspective
 One strength of this
assumption is that it has been
developed to treat atypical
behaviour.
For example in treatment of
schizophrenia, patients are
given positive reinforcement
for appropriate/good
behaviour.
- This is called token
economy.
M1

28. The Behaviourist Perspective
But this means that behaviour could be
UNLEARNT through token economy….
M1

29. The Behaviourist Perspective
 Another strength of this
approach is that it
highlights the importance
of the environment on our
behaviour
M1

30. The Behaviourist Perspective
 One limitation however is
that other researchers
show learning can occur
without reinforcement.
For example Social
Learning Theory shows
that people can learn
behaviours just by
watching and copying
role models.
M1

31. The Behaviourist Perspective
 This assumption is also
criticised for being too
deterministic. This
means that it believes
humans have no free
will, and their behaviour
is controlled by the
environment.
What about nature?
M1

32. The Behaviourist Perspective
 Skinner used rats….. So?
M1

33. The Behaviourist Perspective
Not all behaviour is learnt
or unlearnt. Some people
may be aggressive
because they have high
levels of testosterone
(nature). Positive
reinforcement would not
be effective in changing
this behaviour.
M1

34. Behaviourist Perspective Case Study:
Derek - Operant Conditioning
Derek is 45 years old and attends a Day Centre
for adults with learning difficulties. The staff
at the centre find his behaviour challenging and
unacceptable. Derek often shouts out and
demands attention and he refuses to comply
with the simplest of instructions that all clients
are expected to follow.
Describe how the staff at the Day Centre use
operant conditioning to modify and change
Derek’s behaviour.