Psychological Perspectives

Psychological Perspectives

  • Submitted By: mancgal
  • Date Submitted: 12/28/2008 2:24 PM
  • Category: Psychology
  • Words: 4776
  • Page: 20
  • Views: 2

Psyhological Perspectives

1
3.1
Behaviourists believed that we are shaped by the way our behaviours are rewarded. Behaviourists want results, by which they can check measure and observe on the stimulus and the reacted response it is an scientific study. They study humans and animals.Behaviourists believed that all behaviour is learned after birth, from the environment that surrounds the person, hence, the rules and reactions of learning should be studied. In contrast to this Humanists believe that psychology should also study the experiences the person goes through, which would clarify, why a person would behave the way they do along with having free will. In contrast to this, Behaviourists believe that people do not have free will but just think they do. This approach links into the theory that people are actually carrying out actions that were influenced by past experiences. According to behaviourists only observable behaviour should be studied and not peoples thoughts or minds, as they could be inaccurate.
Behaviourisms main idea is that we learn by consequences of our behaviour. They see learning as an observable event. The theory is all about overt behaviour (behaviour that can be seen) rather than the actual cognitive thinking part. They say that we feel something because of a stimulus such as feeling pleased for getting a good mark. In learning the key elements are the stimulus, the response and the association between the two. The main idea is how the association between the stimulus and response is made, strengthened, and maintained.
Classical Conditioning
One theory of classical conditioning was carried out by a Russian psychologist called Ivan Pavlov who did quite a number of studies on the digestive system of dogs. Pavlov knew that when food was presented to a hungry dog it would trigger salivation, which is classed as a reflex behaviour. Reflex responses happen automatically (doesnt need to be learned). Pavlov soon discovered that after time...

Similar Essays