Behaviorism

Early work was conducted by the Russian

physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849–1936). Pavlov
studied a form of learning behavior called a
conditioned reflex, in which an animal or
human produced a reflex (unconscious)
response to a stimulus.
Functionalism had a directed impact on Watson,
in two ways:

First, behaviorism, taking inspiration from

functionalism, emphasized upon more objectivity
in Psychology and rejected the study of conscious
experiences.
Second, seeing the success of functionalism,
behaviorism also showed a strong concern with
wider application of Psychology in the fields of
animal Psychology, child psychology and
abnormal psychology.
Behaviorism is largely responsible for establishing
Psychology as a scientific discipline through its
objective methods and especially experimentation.
Edward Thorndike’s (1898) work with cats and
puzzle boxes illustrates the concept of conditioning.
Law of Effect: If an association is followed by
satisfaction, it will be strengthened, and if it is
followed by annoyance, it will be weakened.
Thorndike believed that an organism would seek to
strengthen the association between a stimulus and
response, if that association was perceived to yield
satisfaction or pleasure to that organism.
Characteristics of Behaviorism

➢ Purely objective experimental method.

➢ Introspection was not given importance.
➢ No study of consciousness.
Methods of Psychology
➢ Observational: naturalistic and scientific
observation
➢ Conditioned-reflex technique
➢ Testing
➢ Method of Verbal Report: Report about his own
condition and performance.
Later Behaviorism/Neo Behaviorism
B.F. Skinner's Theory of Operant Conditioning

Skinner was influenced by the work of John B.

Watson.

Operant conditioning/instrumental conditioning,

is a method of learning that occurs through rewards
and punishments for behavior.
Schedules of Reinforcement

A reinforcement schedule is a rule stating which

instances of behavior, if any, will be reinforced.
 Types of
Reinforcement

Positive Negative
Reinforcement Reinforcement
Guthrie (1886-1959) proposed one law of learning,

Law of Contiguity.

“A principle of learning which states that to establish an

association between two events, they must be experienced
close together in time and space.”
Law of contiguity is to say that if you did
something in a given situation, the next time that
you are in that situation you will tend to do the
same thing
Clark Hull (1884–1952)
Hull proposed a new way of understanding
behaviorism. Hull believed that human behavior
could be explained by conditioning and
reinforcement. The reduction of impulses acts as
a reinforcement for behavior. The strength of the
habit depends on whether the stimulus-response
sequence is followed by a reinforcement.
Edward Chance Tolman was a behaviorist, but he
was a purposive behaviorist. He challenged the
conventional assumptions given by behaviorists. He
proposed that people and animals process
information actively not passively as Behaviorism
had suggested. Tolman developed a cognitive view
of learning.
Tolman believed individuals do more than merely
respond to stimuli; they act on beliefs, attitudes,
changing conditions, and they strive toward goals.
Tolman is virtually the only behaviorists who
found the stimulus-response theory unacceptable,
because reinforcement was not necessary for
learning to occur. He felt behavior was mainly
cognitive.