Behaviorism

A non mentalistic view of Psychology

The main players:

Ivan Petrovitch Pavlov (1849-1936) John Broadus Watson (1878-1956) B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)

Who influenced Pavlov?

The physiological work of William Beaumont (1785-1853)

An expanded concept of reflex to explain higher functions of thinking, willing, judging -pioneered by Sechenov (1829-1905)

The ideas of Descartes (1596-1650) about reflexes

Pavlov’s work:

Work on the digestive system. Nobel price in 1904

Notices “mental secretions” -anticipated responses of the animals becoming familiar to the setting.

Studied these “mental secretions” -they become what we know as “conditioned reflex”.

Important conceptsPavlov brought us

The whole notion of conditioned reflex Concepts of generalization,

differentiation, excitation, inhibition, higher level conditioning

Concept of experimental neurosis

Pavlov today?

• Visit the Pavlov Institute of Physiology in Russia

Who influenced Watson?

Reacts against Wundt and James -and their followers such as John Dewey

Infuenced by Loeb (tropisms) and Henry Donaldson (white rat neurology) -studied the myelinization of white rat nervous system & consequent changes in the complexity of their behavior.

Pavlov

Watson’s main contributions

Official founder of behaviorism as an independent and valid approach to psychology

Is a radical behaviorist Introduces the notion of conditioned

emotional response (little Albert) Three emotions: fear, rage, love -all

emotional life built on those Applies this to advertising

B. F. SkinnerWho influenced him?

Bertrand Russel’s (a British philosopher) discussion of J. B. Watson’s book on behaviorism. (Then, Watson himself)

H.G. Wells article on G. Bernard Shaw and Pavlov (Then Pavlov himself)

What were Skinner’s main contributions?

Developed the Skinner box as a way to study operant behavior.

Important concepts: operant conditioning, reinforcement, contingencies of reinforcement, reinforcement schedules, discrimination learning, programmed instruction.

Developed the social implications of his theory.

A Skinner pageby undergraduate students

http://www.wabash.edu/depart/psych/Courses/Psych97A/STUDENT%20PROJECTS/Skinner/hammondk/

The End