Evaluations of the learning approach: Behaviourism

Scientifically credible

The fact that behaviousim uses lab experiments and scientific equipment means that the results are likely to be more valid.
This is because they are scientific and science employs highly controlled experiments.
This was a major turning point for psychology and it could begin to differentiate itself from philosophy as a strict disipline of science.

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The principles of conditioning have been applied to the real world.
For example in the prison system.
Good behaviour in prison is rewarded with privlages; more hours outside. This is postive reinforcement.
Bad behaviour in the prison system then privlages are removed. negative reinforcement.
This may result in quicker rehibilitiation.
This shows that the Behaviourism is beneficial to the real world.

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In this approach animals and humans are seen as machine like responders.
It displays that we do things without thinking.
However, many other approaches such as cognitive and SLT potray humans to have deeper mental processes when regarding learning compared to animals.
This suggests that it is unclear on the correct way humans learn.

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This study lacks external validity because the two main experiments that behaviourism uses were lab experiments.
Lab experiments does mean that the researchers have more control over extraneous vairables, however because it is in a lab then it does have the danger of being over controlled.
For example Skinners box was vague it didnt replicate a natural habbitat of a pigeon nor a mouse.
The animal was most likely interacting with the lever because it was the only object in the environment to react to.
This shows that because the study does not mirror how animals learn things in everyday life then it is lacking external validity and is questioned if it is reliable or not.

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Researchers and animal right activists have often critised Skinner and Pavlov for putting small animals in situations that are stressful.
Animal rights activists argued that it is unfair and unethical to place pigeon and mice in stressful scenarios and have since boycott the experiments.
Researchers on the other hand, express their concern of the validity of the experiment.
Researchers argue that this does not mimic learning in real life and is therefore invalid.

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