Lecture on Behaviorism
Introduction to Behaviorism
- Originated in late 19th century Russia.
- Key figure: Ivan Pavlov and his study with dogs.
- Discovery: Dogs salivated not just at food, but at associated stimuli, leading to classical conditioning.
Ivan Pavlov and Classical Conditioning
- Stimulus and Response:
- Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): Food, naturally causing dogs to salivate.
- Unconditioned Response (UCR): Salivation in response to food.
- Experiment Process:
- Pavlov rang a bell when feeding dogs.
- Over time, dogs began to associate bell with food.
- Conditioned Stimulus (CS): Bell, after association.
- Conditioned Response (CR): Salivation in response to bell alone.
- Key Concept: By pairing UCS (food) with a neutral stimulus (bell), Pavlov created a conditioned response.
John B. Watson and Behaviorism
- American psychologist intrigued by Pavlov's work.
- Believed psychology should be based on observable measures.
- Famous claim: Environment shapes individual development.
Little Albert Experiment
- Conducted by Watson.
- Unconditioned Stimulus: Loud noises causing fear.
- Unconditioned Response: Albert's crying and fear.
- Conditioned Stimulus: White rat, initially neutral.
- Conditioned Response: Fear of white rats.
- Method: Pairing the rat with loud noise until Albert feared the rat alone.
- Note: Methods considered unethical by today’s standards.
B.F. Skinner and Operant Conditioning
- American scientist considered the father of operant conditioning.
- Developed experiments using the Skinner box.
Operant Conditioning
- Involves reinforcement or punishment after a desired response.
- Key Differences from Classical Conditioning:
- Focus on Voluntary Behavior: Unlike involuntary responses in classical conditioning.
- Reinforcement/Punishment: Motivates change in behavior.
- Motivation: Central to operant conditioning.
- Application: Voluntary behaviors operate on the environment to produce outcomes.
Conclusion
- Classical Conditioning: Involves making associations between involuntary response and a stimulus.
- Operant Conditioning: Involves reinforcement or punishment to modify voluntary behavior.
Summary
Behaviorism is a key psychological concept, evolved from Pavlov's classical conditioning to Skinner's operant conditioning, both emphasizing different methods and aspects of learning and behavior modification.