Behaviorism

http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/pub/eres/EDSPC715_MCINTYRE/cartoon12.JPG

Predecessors of Behaviorism

Animal psychology

Thorndike

Pavlov

von Osten’s goal: prove humans and animals have similar mental processes

Clever Hans, the clever horse

Used experimental approach 2 groups of questioners

Group 1 knew the answers Group 2 did not know the answers

Hans only answered correctly when questioners knew the answers

Clever Hans, the clever horseAn Investigation

Conclusion: Hans was receiving some type of information

from questioners Hans had been unintentionally conditioned by his

owner

Impact: Scientists more skeptical of mental processes

in animalsBut… Provided proof that animals were capable of

learning

Clever Hans, the clever horseAn Investigation

Edward Lee Thorndike (1874–1949)

Believed psychology should study behavior, not elements/conscious experiences

Developed a theory of learning Puzzle boxes

Measurements: errors time

Trial-and-error learning

Connectionism Association between stimuli and responses

Connection more likely to form if followed by a reinforcement

Response-units simplest elements of behavior

Theory of Learning

Law of effect: behavior that produces a good outcome

becomes associated with a certain situation;

when the situation recurs, the behavior is likely to occur again (“stamping in”)

likewise, a behavior with a bad outcome is less likely to occur again (“stamping out”)

Formal Laws of Learning

Intended to study for the priesthood

Read about Darwin, chose to study animal physiology

Total dedication to research, unwilling to deal with everyday problems

Pavlov’s life (1849-1936)

1904 Nobel Prize for work on digestion

An Accidental Discovery

Experimental Results

Salivating to the food in mouth is innate: unconditional reflex

Salivating to the sight of food is learned: conditional reflex

Conditioned reflexes

http://www.sciencecases.org/behaviorism/title.jpg

Before conditioning

Conditioned reflexes

US(meat)

UR(saliva)

NS(bell) nothing

After conditioning

Conditioned reflexes

US(meat)

UR(saliva)

CS(bell)

CR(saliva)

Influences on Psychology

Shift of associationism from subjective ideas

objective physiological responses

Provided Watson with a new method

Toward a science of behavior

Background 1892-1923: structuralism dominates, then first

supplemented and finally replaced by functionalism

1913: behaviorism declares war Protest against both structuralism and

functionalism 1924: Watsonian behaviorism preeminent in

US

Three stages of behaviorism

1913-1930: Watsonian behaviorism

1930-1960: Neobehaviorism Hull, Skinner

1960-present: Sociobehaviorism return to cognitive processes Bandura, Rotter

Watson’s Life (1878-1958)

Family: poor, father drank, frequently unemployed, ran off with another woman when Watson was 13

Personality: Delinquent as a teen At 16, enrolled in university to become

minister Very ambitious but insecure

Watson’s Life (1878-1958)

Academic career: 1903:

youngest person at University of Chicago to receive doctorate (age 25)

married one of his students 1909:

Chair of psychology at John Hopkins Editor of Psychological Review

Watson’s Life (1878-1958)

Academic career: 1914: behavior: an introduction to comparative

psychology Argued for acceptance of animal psychology Described advantages of animal subjects Discussed importance of ridding psychology of the

remnants of philosophy 1919: psychology from the standpoint of a

behaviorist Most complete account of behaviorism to date Argued methods and principles of animal research are

appropriate for study of humans

Watson’s Life (1878-1958)

Overview Watson credited the work of others as

originators of behaviorism Saw himself as bringing together the emergent

ideas Goal: to found a new school

Watson’s Life (1878-1958)

1920: Scandal Affair with student

Rosalie Rayner Watson forced to resign

Moved into advertising

Watson’s behaviorism

Dealt solely with observable behavior Rejected mentalistic concepts and terms such

as consciousness and soul, declared introspection irrelevant

Desired practical applications

Goal: prediction and control of behavior

Reactions to Watson’s Behaviorism

Initial reactions Behaviorism was not embraced

1920s University courses in behaviorism The word “behaviorist” appeared in journals McDougall: issued a public warning against

behaviorism Other forms of behaviorism emerging

The methods of behaviorism

Only accepted methods Observation, with and without instruments Testing methods Verbal report method Conditioned reflex method

Behavior = individual stimulus-response units

The subject matter of behaviorism

Responses can be explicit or implicit Explicit

Overt, directly observable behavior Ex. blinking, knee jerk

Implicit Behavior that occurs internally, but Has a physical manifestation and Is potentially observable through the use of

instruments Ex. glandular secretions

Instincts

1925: eliminated the concept of instinct Denied inherited capacities, temperaments,

talents Children can become anything one desires

with the correct training

Seemingly instinctive behavior is actually a socially conditioned response

Emotions

Emotions Physiological reactions to stimuli, different for each

emotion Implicit behavior

Only unlearned emotional response patterns:

• Rage Love• Fear

http://www.bebereviews.com/baby%20massage%20i%20stock.jpghttp://www.ssqq.com/stories/images/fear.jpg http://erkansaka.net/blog/archive/Metallica-StAnger-thumb.jpg

Watson & Little Albert

Albert conditioned to fear a white laboratory rat Each time he reached for the rat,

Watson made a loud clanging noise right above Albert

Albert’s fear generalized to anything white and furry Including rabbits and Santa

Claus Study demonstrated

conditioned (learned) emotional responses

Behaviorism’s popular appeal

Watson called for a society based on scientifically shaped and controlled behavior Free of myths, customs, and convention Provided hope for a new, better society

Emphasis on childhood environment and minimization of heredity Implied emotional disturbances in adulthood

due to conditioned responses during earlier years

Famous Watson quote

"Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select--doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant- chief, and yes, even beggarman and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors"