200k views
1 vote
Milo is studying psychologists who believe that humans (and animals) learn different behaviors because of rewards and punishments they have experienced in their environments. Which broad psychological approach best fits this theory?

a. Behavioral
b. Psychodynamic
c. Evolutionary
d. Humanistic

1 Answer

2 votes

Final answer:

The behavioral approach is most aligned with the view that humans learn behaviors due to rewards and punishments. It emphasizes the importance of environmental stimuli and conditioning in shaping behavior, as exemplified by B. F. Skinner's work. The correct answer is option: a. Behavioral.

Step-by-step explanation:

The psychological approach that best fits the theory that humans learn behaviors through rewards and punishments is the behavioral approach. This approach focuses on how external environmental stimuli influence an organism's behavior through conditioning.

Psychologist B. F. Skinner, a proponent of the behavioral perspective, suggested that all human actions, including complex behaviors, are the result of prior conditioning. He emphasized the role of reinforcement and punishment in shaping behavior, an idea based on the law of effect by Edward Thorndike.

Behaviorists like Skinner argue against biological determinism and instead propose that behavior is learned through interaction with the environment. They consider learned behaviors to be responses to environmental stimuli, contrasting with innate or instinctual behaviors.

User Tom Zych
by
7.9k points