SLT/Behaviourist approach Evaluation SLT/Behaviourist approach

Homework: available on the website Glossary Ethics Exam questions

Baseline Assessment: Friday

In pairs…. Number yourself A and B A: Start – You have 1 minute to talk about Behaviourist approach using all the key terms that have been identified on the sheet. B: If your partner uses the term correctly in their description tick the key term off. B: You now have 1 minute to use any key terms that your partner did not use in finishing off the description of the Behaviourist approach Swap over for SLT. Person B starts Challenge: Can you use the key words with a * to explain the approach

Lesson objectives Identify command words and assessment objectives used in psychology Evaluate behaviourist and SLT using key evaluation points Apply knowledge to exam question on the behaviourist approach

Command words/Assessment objectives Task 1: define the following command words AO1 = Knowledge and understanding AO2 = Application of knowledge and understanding AO3 = Analysis, interpretation and evaluation

Evaluation (A03) In simple terms this means outlining the strengths and limitations of a theory or research study. Question: How can we evaluate the approaches in psychology? Think back to previous lessons and brainstorm ideas with your partner

Evaluation(A03) Methodology – experimental methods/sample Real life application – can we apply to real world issues? Issues – gender bias/culture bias Debates – perspectives in psychology (e.g. nature vs. nurture) Ethical implications – does a study involve ethical issues such as privacy, deception, psychological or physical harm. Validity – how accurate is the research? Does it measure what it sets out to measure Reliability – can we replicate the research? Research to support/refute

How do write an evaluate paragraph?

Signposting Evaluation (AO3) Point Example Explain Link to Question One problem is… One weakness is… One positive feature is… One appraisal of the theory is… One criticism is… One issue is… For example… For instance… One example of this… This was shown by… This can be seen in… This was criticised by… This was supported by… This shows that… This would suggest that… From this, it can be seen… These findings show… This is a problem because… One explanation of this is… One reason for this could be… This supports/disproves X because… Consequently… Subsequently… As a result… In summary… The implication of this is… This raises the issue of… If this is the case then… If this is correct then… If this is incorrect then… This strengthens… This weakens… Signposting Evaluation (AO3) Task: Add conjunction words to the table to help you when writing your PEEL paragraphs

Behaviourist approach It is very scientific and usually uses controlled experimental methods It provides a strong counter-argument to the nature side of the nature-nurture debate. Many useful applications such as explaining why people acquire phobias Use of this perspective often relies on laboratory experiments which lack ecological validity Many animal studies are used which open up the ethical debate/cause problems when generalising to humans.

Social learning theory It is very scientific and usually uses controlled experimental methods It provides a strong counter-argument to the nature side of the nature-nurture debate. Many useful applications such as in educational settings One strength of SLT is its plentiful research support Use of this perspective often relies on laboratory experiments which lack ecological validity .

Social learning theory Task: Write down any information that will help you build an effective evaluation paragraph to the following areas: Methodology Real life application Issue and debates – nature vs. nurture Challenge: complete the same activity for the behaviourist approach

Evaluation: Social learning theory Identify PEEL structure in the below paragraph The majority of research done in the Social Learning Theory involves laboratory experiments on children. This is a strength because it allows strict control of variables and cause and effect can be seen clearly. For example, in Bandura, Ross & Ross (1961), the behaviours produced by the children were clearly categorised, inter-rater reliability was tested and there was good agreement between observers. Because all children experienced the same rooms and same toys, the effect of the different models was clear. However, the scenarios used in the experiments are often artificial. For example, in Bandura, Ross & Ross (1961) it is unlikely that children would normally see an adult bashing a Bobo doll or be placed in a situation where they could imitate it immediately afterwards. This can be seen as a weakness of Social Learning Theory as the children may have been affected by demand characteristics and just done what they thought they were supposed to do.

The majority of research done in the Social Learning Theory involves laboratory experiments on children. This is a strength because it allows strict control of variables and cause and effect can be seen clearly. For example, in Bandura, Ross & Ross (1961), the behaviours produced by the children were clearly categorised, inter-rater reliability was tested and there was good agreement between observers. Because all children experienced the same rooms and same toys, the effect of the different models was clear. However, the scenarios used in the experiments are often artificial. For example, in Bandura, Ross & Ross (1961) it is unlikely that children would normally see an adult bashing a Bobo doll or be placed in a situation where they could imitate it immediately afterwards. This can be seen as a weakness of Social Learning Theory as the children may have been affected by demand characteristics and just done what they thought they were supposed to do. Task: Individually, write your own evaluation paragraph for the Behaviourist approach Challenge: select one other evaluation point to write a PEEL paragraph on for either the Behaviourist approach or SLT

Task: Un-jumble the PEEL paragraphs (SLT) Another strength of SLT is its applicability to real-world issues. For example, SLT has been used to examine and evaluate the effectiveness of advertising: Andsager et al. (2006) found that ‘identification with a character or example may increase the likelihood that audiences will model behaviour presented in an anti-alcohol message’. Consequently, the principles of SLT can be used to provide a positive impact on promotional health campaigns, and indirectly help combat problem behaviours like alcoholism.

Task: Un-jumble the PEEL paragraphs (SLT) The Social learning theory underestimates the influence of Biological factors. This is a limitation because the SLT sees behaviour as environmentally determined (nurture) whereas some behaviours may be innate (nature). For example, a consistent finding in the bobo doll experiment was that boys showed more aggression than girls regardless of the specifics of experimental condition. This may be explained by differences in the levels of testosterone, which is present in larger doses in males compared to females and has been liked to aggression. Both the SLT and Bandura may have underestimated the important the impact of biological, heredity or maturational factors on behaviours as evidence from these areas of research does show they do have an impact.

Exam focus: essay writing Task… Now we have looked at evaluation points for Social Learning Theory, individually complete the essay framework for the behaviourist approach. Use your knowledge from last week and todays lesson to help you complete the essay. Challenge: without guidance, plan an answer to the following question on SLT: Describe and evaluate Social Learning Theory (12 marks)

Examples of reinforcement and punishment Table 1– An example of positive reinforcement Table 2– An example of negative reinforcement Table 3 – An example of punishment Table 4 – An example of vicarious reinforcement Each person will create an example which will then be given to an individual on another table who needs to use the same example but change it depending on their table focus.