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Overview of Behaviorism Theories

Behaviorism is a theory of learning that states all behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment, either through classical conditioning discovered by Ivan Pavlov or operant conditioning studied by B.F. Skinner. Important figures in behaviorism include Ivan Pavlov who conditioned dogs to salivate to a bell, John B. Watson who changed psychology's goal to predicting behavior, Edward Thorndike who introduced the law of effect, and B.F. Skinner who developed operant conditioning using positive and negative reinforcement in Skinner boxes.

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37 views4 pages

Overview of Behaviorism Theories

Behaviorism is a theory of learning that states all behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment, either through classical conditioning discovered by Ivan Pavlov or operant conditioning studied by B.F. Skinner. Important figures in behaviorism include Ivan Pavlov who conditioned dogs to salivate to a bell, John B. Watson who changed psychology's goal to predicting behavior, Edward Thorndike who introduced the law of effect, and B.F. Skinner who developed operant conditioning using positive and negative reinforcement in Skinner boxes.

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BEHAVIORISM

Behaviorism, also known as behavioral psychology, is a theory of learning which states all
behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment through a process called
conditioning.
Thus, behavior is simply a response to environmental stimuli.
Behaviorism is only concerned with observable stimulus-response behaviors, as they can be
studied in a systematic and observable manner.
Behaviorists
Important figures in behaviorism
There are a number of important theorists and psychologists who left an indelible mark on
1. John B. Watson
2. Ivan Pavlov
3. Edward Thorndike
4. B. F. Skinner
5. Clark Hull

1. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849–1936)


Pavlov obtained a degree in natural science in 1879 and then remained at the academy to pursue
a degree in medicine.
Pavlovian conditioning (classical conditioning) was discovered accidentally.
Research on Digestion
During the 1890s, Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov was researching salivation in dogs in
response to being fed. He inserted a small test tube into the cheek of each dog to measure saliva
when the dogs were fed.
In the experiment, the dogs heard a bell before they were brought food. Over time, the dogs
learned that a ringing bell meant food, so they would begin to salivate when they heard the bell
even though they didn’t react to the bells before.
Classical conditioning:
The process by which an animal or human learns to associate two previously unrelated stimuli
with each other. Pavlov's dogs learned to associate the response to one stimulus (salivating at the
smell of food) with a “neutral” stimulus that previously did not evoke a response (the ringing of
a bell.) This type of conditioning involves involuntary responses.

2. John Broadus Watson (1878–1958)


He was born on January 9, 1878 in the South Carolina.
Watson’s behaviorism gained widespread acceptance, it eventually did just that.
Watson’s view of psychology was to have two long-lasting effects:
 First, he changed psychology’s major goal from the description and explanation of states
of consciousness to the prediction and control of behavior.
 Second, he made overt behavior the almost-exclusive subject matter of psychology

Types of Behavior and How They Are Studied


For Watson, there were four types of behavior:
i. Explicit (overt) learned behavior such as talking, writing, and playing baseball;
ii. Implicit (covert) learned behavior such as the increased heart rate caused by the sight
of a dentist’s drill;
iii. Explicit unlearned behavior such as grasping, blinking, and sneezing;
iv. Implicit unlearned behavior such as glandular secretions and circulatory changes.
According to Watson, everything that a person did, including thinking, falls into one of these
four categories. For studying behavior, Watson proposed four methods: observation, either
naturalistic or experimentally, controlled and conditioned-reflex method.
Classical Conditioning: Little Albert
In another experiment that showed the classical conditioning of emotions in humans, the
psychologist J.B. Watson and his graduate student Rosalie Rayner exposed a 9-month-old child,
whom they called “Little Albert,” to a white rat and other furry animals, like a rabbit and a dog,
as well as to cotton, wool, burning newspapers, and other stimuli—all of which did not frighten
Albert. Later, however, Albert was allowed to play with a white lab rat. Watson and Rayner then
made a loud sound with a hammer, which frightened Albert and made him cry. After repeating
this several times, Albert became very distressed when he was presented with only the white rat.
This showed that he had learned to associate his response (becoming afraid and crying) to
another stimulus that had not frightened him before.
3. Edward Thorndike
Edward Thorndike (1898) is famous in psychology for his work on learning theory that lead to
the development of operant conditioning within Behaviorism.
Edward Thorndike introduced a psychological principle known as the law of effect.
According to this principle, behavior that is followed by pleasant consequences is likely to be
repeated, and behavior followed by unpleasant consequences is less likely to be repeated.
4. B.F. Skinner
B.F. Skinner was an influential thinker responsible for introducing operant conditioning and
schedules of reinforcement.
Operant Conditioning
Skinner is regarded as the father of Operant Conditioning, but his work was based
on Thorndike’s (1898) law of effect.
Skinner introduced a new term into the Law of Effect - Reinforcement. Behavior which is
reinforced tends to be repeated (i.e., strengthened); behavior which is not reinforced tends to die
out-or be extinguished (i.e., weakened).
Skinner (1948) studied operant conditioning by conducting experiments using animals which he
placed in a 'Skinner Box' which was similar to Thorndike’s puzzle box.
The Skinner box experiment demonstrates operant conditioning, in which an animal or human
learns a behavior (e.g. pressing a lever) by associating it with consequences (e.g. dropping a food
pellet or stopping an electric current.) The three types of reinforcement are as follows:
i. Positive reinforcement: When something good is added (e.g. a food pellet drops into the
box) to teach a new behavior.
ii. Negative reinforcement: When something bad is removed (e.g. an electric current stops)
to teach a new behavior.
iii. Punishment: When something bad is added to teach the subject to stop a behavior.

Common questions

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Classical conditioning involves learning through association, where an involuntary response to a stimulus becomes associated with a new, neutral stimulus. This was demonstrated in Pavlov's experiments with dogs and Watson's Little Albert experiment . Operant conditioning, on the other hand, involves learning through consequences, where behaviors are modified by reinforcement or punishment. This form was primarily developed by B.F. Skinner with the reinforcement principles based on Thorndike's Law of Effect .

Edward Thorndike’s Law of Effect laid the foundational concept for operant conditioning by proposing that behaviors followed by satisfying consequences tend to be repeated, while those followed by unpleasant consequences do not. B.F. Skinner expanded on this by formalizing operant conditioning and introducing reinforcement, emphasizing that behavior can be shaped through positive and negative reinforcement as well as punishment .

Watson's classification of human behavior into four types—explicit learned, implicit learned, explicit unlearned, and implicit unlearned—suggests a systematic approach to understanding and predicting actions based on environmental interactions. This classification implied that through conditioning, it is possible to manipulate and control behavior, which carried significant implications for fields such as education, therapy, and advertising by providing a framework for behavior modification .

The Little Albert experiment raises significant ethical concerns, particularly regarding the lack of informed consent and the potential distress caused to the child subject. At the time, ethical standards for experiments on humans were not well established. Today, ethical guidelines require informed consent, debriefing, and minimizing harm, which is crucial for protecting participants' rights and well-being. The experiment highlights the importance of ethical oversight and has influenced modern ethical standards in psychological research .

Ivan Pavlov's accidental discovery of classical conditioning when studying digestive responses in dogs provided empirical evidence for the importance of learned associations. This discovery led to a refinement of experimental techniques in behavioral psychology, shifting the focus to measurable and observable outcomes. Pavlov's work influenced subsequent research by establishing a paradigm for the systematic study of behavior, thereby laying the foundation for research into conditioned reflexes and expanding behavioral theories .

The Little Albert experiment illustrated classical conditioning by demonstrating how a neutral stimulus, such as a white rat, could be paired with an unconditioned stimulus, like the loud noise, to evoke a conditioned response (fear). Initially, Albert showed no fear of the rat, but after repeated pairings with the loud noise, he began to associate the fear elicited by the noise with the rat, resulting in conditioned fear responses to the rat alone .

John B. Watson shifted the focus of psychology from the investigation of internal states of consciousness (introspection) to the prediction and control of observable behavior. He emphasized the methodological study of overt behavior and classified behaviors into four types: explicit learned, implicit learned, explicit unlearned, and implicit unlearned .

In B.F. Skinner's theory, reinforcement is central to operant conditioning. It serves as a mechanism to increase the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated. Positive reinforcement involves adding a pleasant stimulus, while negative reinforcement involves removing an adverse stimulus. Both aim to strengthen behavior. Punishment, which contrasts with reinforcement, is used to decrease the likelihood of a behavior by introducing an unpleasant stimulus .

Ivan Pavlov's main contribution to behaviorism was his discovery of classical conditioning, which demonstrated how organisms can learn to associate two previously unrelated stimuli. His work laid the groundwork for the scientific study of associative learning and influenced the behaviorist approach to psychology, emphasizing systematic experimental methods and the analysis of observable behaviors. These principles continue to inform therapies like exposure therapy used in treating phobias .

In modern educational settings, principles of operant conditioning are employed by using reinforcement to enhance learning outcomes. Positive reinforcement, like praise or rewards, is used to encourage desirable behaviors and academic performance. Meanwhile, negative reinforcement can help in improving classroom behavior by removing negative stimuli when students perform well. Punishment might be used less frequently due to its potential to create adverse side effects, aligning with Skinner's emphasis on the outcomes of reinforcement .

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