THE BEHAVIORAL MODEL

• Like the psychoanalytic perspective, behaviorism also is

deterministic, based on the idea that our actions are determined
largely by our life experiences.

• The model concentrates wholly on behaviors and

environmental factors.

• Behavioral theorists base their explanations and treatments on

principles of learning, the process by which these behaviors
change in response to the environment.
• The historical beginnings of behaviorism is in laboratories
where conditioning studies were conducted.

• The emphasis of the behavioral approach is on the

environment and how abnormal behavior is acquired,
through classical conditioning, operant conditioning and social
learning.
 Classical Conditioning
• First Pavlov established that food caused the dog to
salivate.
• Then Pavlov established that a sound did not cause
the dog to salivate
• He then presented the sound with the food.
• Note that the dog is salivating in response to the food
at this time.
• After several pairings of the tone and food, Pavlov
found that the dog would salivate to the sound when
it was presented alone.
• To condition means to mould someone or something
to a certain way of behaving or thinking.

• Within classical conditioning there are certain stimuli

and responses which make up the results seen in
Pavlov’s dog.

• These are; unconditioned stimulus, conditioned

stimulus, unconditioned response and conditioned
response.
• This model explains many familiar behaviors (both
normal and abnormal).

• Clinical psychologists make use of classical

conditioning to explain the learning of a phobia — a
strong and irrational fear of a specific object, activity,
or situation.
• The process of classical conditioning can explain how we
acquire phobias.
• For example, driving a car is a neutral event that would not
normally elicit a fear response in most people.
• But if a person were to experience a panic attack in which he
or she suddenly experienced strong negative emotions while
driving, that person may learn to associate driving with the
panic response.
• The driving has become the CS that now creates the fear
response.
 OPERENT
• This is the other side of behaviourism.
• According to this conditioning paradigm, humans and
animals learn to behave in certain ways as a result of
receiving rewards whenever they do so
• It works on the assumption of learning through
reward and punishment.
• The main influences are; positive reinforcement
(reward), negative reinforcement and punishment.
• The “Skinner box” was used in order to investigate
the impact of reward and punishment on behaviour.
• Their reward was food and they were required to
learn (in a variety of ways) how to get it.
 Modeling
• In a modeling paradigm, individuals learn responses simply
by observing and repeating behavior.

• Type of learning that happens indirectly through a process of

watching others and then imitating, or modeling, their
behavior, with the imitating being called modeling. Albert
Bandura is an influential psychologist who first studied
observational learning.
 Key assumptions of behaviourism
• When born our mind is 'tabula rasa' (a blank slate).

• A person’s environment determines their behaviour. We are puppets

on strings.

• Psychology should be seen as a science.

Theories need to be supported by
empirical data obtained through
careful and controlled observation
and measurement of behaviour.
• Behaviourism is primarily concerned with observable
behaviour, as opposed to internal events like thinking and
emotion. Observable (i.e. external) behaviour can be
objectively and scientifically measured.

• There is little difference between the learning that takes place

in humans and that in other animals. Therefore research can be
carried out on animals as well as humans.

• All behaviour is learnt from the environment. We learn new

behaviour through classical or operant conditioning.
 Behaviourism to explain abnormality
• From a behavioural perspective, depression results from a lack
of positive reinforcements (rewards) or an excess of
unpleasant experiences, (punishment).

• For example, unemployment and retirement can contribute can

lead to a loss of positive social reinforcements, reduced
income and status. Life changes can also lead to unpleasant
experiences such as the shame and stigma of unemployment.

• Depressed people received fewer positive reinforcements and

are likely to have had more unpleasant experiences than non
depressed people.
• Abnormal behaviour can result from reinforcement. For
example, the early stages of drug abuse can be encouraged by
positive reinforcement because of the pleasure or comfort
associated with drug use.
Behavioral therapies
• The aim of behavioral therapy is to identify the
behaviors that are causing problems and replace them
with more appropriate ones.

• Behavioral therapists may use classical conditioning,

operant conditioning, or modeling approaches.

• In this model, the therapist is a “teacher” rather than a

“healer”
• Classical conditioning treatments may be used to
change abnormal reactions to particular stimuli.

• Example: step-by-step systematic desensitization for

phobia.
(a) Learn relaxation skills
(b) Construct a fear hierarchy
(c) Confront feared situations (covertly or in
vivo)
• Systematic desensitization
• Systematic desensitization is a type of behavioral
therapy based on the principle of classical
conditioning. It was developed by Wolpe during the
1950s.
• This therapy aims to remove the fear response of a
phobia, and substitute a relaxation response to the
conditional stimulus gradually using counter
conditioning.
• Counterconditioning (also called stimulus
substitution) is functional analytic principle that is
part of behavior analysis, and involves the
conditioning of an unwanted behavior or response to
a stimulus into a wanted behavior or response by the
association of positive actions with the stimulus.
• This method works(Counter conditioning) best when
used together with systematic desensitization as
explained below.
• There are three phases to the treatment:
• First, the patient is taught a deep muscle relaxation
technique and breathing exercises.
• Second, the patient creates a fear hierarchy starting at
stimuli that create the least anxiety (fear) and building
up in stages to the most fear provoking images. The
list is crucial as it provides a structure for the therapy.
• Third, the patient works their way up the fear
hierarchy, starting at the least unpleasant stimuli and
practising their relaxation technique as they go.
• When they feel comfortable with this (they are no
longer afraid) they move on to the next stage in the
hierarchy.
• If the client becomes upset they can return to an
earlier stage and regain their relaxed state
• The client repeatedly imagines (or is confronted by)
this situation until it fails to evoke any anxiety at all,
indicating that the therapy has been successful.
• This process is repeated while working through all of
the situations in the anxiety hierarchy until the most
anxiety-provoking.
• The number of sessions required depends on the
severity of the phobia. Usually 4-6 sessions, up to 12
for a severe phobia. The therapy is complete once the
agreed therapeutic goals are met (not necessarily
when the person’s fears have been completely
removed).
• Exposure can be done in two ways:
• In vitro – the client imagines exposure to the phobic
stimulus.
• In vivo – the client is actually exposed to the phobic
stimulus.
 Strengths of this model
• This model has become a powerful force in the field.
• It can be tested in the laboratory a. The behaviorists’
basic concepts can be observed and measured.
• There has been significant research support for
behavioral therapies.
 Weaknesses of this model
• There is still no indisputable evidence that most
people with psychological disorders are victims of
improper conditioning.
• Behavioral therapies have limitations.
• This model has been criticized as being too simplistic.