Understanding Behaviorism

Desiree Montoute

Aadi Parillion

Understanding Behaviorism

La Tisha Brown

Kiarra Callwood

Lecturer: Julonna Peterson

Definition & History

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Themes associated with Behaviorism

Theme 1- Psychology is empirical: Knowledge should be acquired through observation. Behaviorism emphasizes the importance of observable behaviors. Theme 4- Behavior is Determined by Multiple Causes: Some of the causes for behaviors include physical factors, personal and emotional factors and life experiences. Behaviorism focuses on observable behaviors; however, it acknowledges the role of factors like conditioning in determining behavior. Theme 5: Behavior Is Shaped by Cultural Heritage: Behaviorists believe that our behaviors are shaped by environmental/external stimuli. Cultural heritage and norms in this case is considered environmental stimuli, directly aligning this theme with behaviorism.

BEHAVIORALTHEORISTS

Ivan Pavlov

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Fun Facts

BEHAVIORALTHEORISTS

Edward Thorndike

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Fun Facts

BEHAVIORALTHEORISTS

B.F Skinner

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Fun Facts

Criticisms for Behaviorism

Behaviorism oversimplifies human behavior by reducing it to basic stimulus-response patterns, often based solely on animal research. This approach neglects the influence of complex human mental processes, such as thoughts, emotions, and cognition, thereby limiting our understanding of human behavior. Behaviorism point out that it often ignores the impact of social and cultural factors on behavior. Instead, it tends to concentrate solely on individual-level processes and immediate environmental influences.

Prevalence of Behaviorism in Society

It is used in therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a common type of talk therapy which helps individuals change their thoughts and behaviors to feel better. It helps you become aware of negative thinking so you can view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them more effectively. Behaviorism is also used in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to help children with autism and other disabilities. It has been shown to help children with autism learn skills and lessen problematic behaviors such as hurting themselves.

Examples of Behaviorism in Society

Real life Scenario

A mother notices her child doesn't like vegetables. So, she starts a star chart. Every time her child eats vegetables, they get a star. If they reach the weekly goal, they get a treat. This is like operant conditioning, where good behavior gets rewarded. It motivates the child to want to eat more veggies because they get praised and rewarded.

Wider Caribbean

Behaviorism can be observed in animal training practices, particularly in the tourism industry. For instance, in places like the Bahamas or the Cayman Islands, trainers use operant conditioning techniques to teach dolphins and sea lions specific behaviors or perform acrobatic stunts for a treat

REVISION

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References

Mcleod, S., PhD. (2024a). Behaviorism in Psychology. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/behaviorism.html Mcleod, S., PhD. (2024b). Edward Thorndike: The Law of Effect. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/edward-thorndike.html Mcleod, S., PhD. (2024c). Operant Conditioning: What it is, how it works, and examples. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html Mcleod, S., PhD. (2024d). Pavlov’s Dogs Experiment and Pavlovian Conditioning Response. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html Perimutter, K. D. W. J. a. L. M. L. a. M. (n.d.). 6.2 A Short History of Behaviorism – Introductory Psychology. https://opentext.wsu.edu/psych105/chapter/6-2-a-short-history-of-learning-and-behaviorism/ Roediger, H. L., III. (2004, March 1). What happened to behaviorism. Association for Psychological Science - APS. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/what-happened-to-behaviorism Skinner Box - GoodTherapy.org therapy blog. (2016, January 29). GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog. https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/skinner-box

Overview

Behaviorism is committed in its fullest and most complete sense to the truth of the following three sets of claims.This doctrine suggests that Psychology is a behavioral science as opposed to the science of the “inner mind” (something other or different from behavior). It is said that behavior can be described and explained without making direct reference to internal psychological processes.

FUN FACTS

• Born in 1874 in Williamsburg, Massachusetts
• His upbringing in a rural setting influenced his interest in psychology i.e. learning and behavior.
• Had a witty sense of humor and incorporated it in academic settings as it makes the lesson memorable and impactful.

Edward Thorndike's theory of learning (habit formation), known as the law of effect, says that behavior followed by a positive outcome is more likely to be repeated, while behavior followed by a negative outcome is less likely to be repeated. In his experiments with cats and puzzle boxes, Thorndike observed that when a cat learned to press a lever to escape, it did so more quickly over time, especially when rewarded with food.

Similar to Thorndike's experiment, B.F Skinner put rats or pigeons in a Skinner box where they could press a lever to get food. When the animals pressed the lever, they got food as a result which caused them to do it more often. Despite the reward, punishment was used in his theory which would cause animals to stop pressing the lever. This experiment showed that animals learn from the consequences of their actions.

FUN FACTS

• Behaviorist born in 1904 in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania.
• Skinner designed an infant crib called the "baby tender," which aimed to provide a safe and comfortable environment for babies.
• During World War II, Skinner worked on a project called "Project Pigeon," which aimed to develop pigeon-guided missiles.

Ivan Pavlov, a Russian scientist, explored classical conditioning, where a reflex response becomes associated with a new stimulus through repetition. For instance, Pavlov showed that dogs could learn to salivate at the sound of a bell if it was repeatedly paired with food. This finding greatly influenced the development of behaviorism.

FUN FACTS

• He was born in 1849 in Ryazan, Russia
• Initially wanted to become a priest but became interested in natural sciences which influenced him to study at University of Peterburg.
• Pavlov had early doubts about psychology being a real science he preferred to study physiology especially after observing his dogs' digestion process. This eventually laid groundwork for behaviorism.