Lecture 9: Behaviorism – Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards summarizing key people, concepts, and terms from Lecture 9 on Behaviorism.

Behaviorism

Psychological approach that studies observable, measurable behavior and how it is learned through environmental conditioning, rejecting internal mental explanations.

Objective Psychology

Early Russian movement insisting that psychology study only directly measurable phenomena, laying groundwork for behaviorism.

Ivan Sechenov

Russian physiologist (1829–1905) who argued all behavior is triggered by external stimuli and introduced brain inhibition in “Reflexes of the Brain.”

Reflexes of the Brain

Sechenov’s 1863 work proposing that psychological processes can be explained by physiological reflexes and inhibitory mechanisms in the brain.

Inhibition (Sechenov)

Physiological brain process that suppresses or reduces activity, showing behavior can be scientifically studied via reflexes.

Positivism (Russian)

Philosophical stance of Sechenov and Pavlov that science should rely on observable, objective data, not metaphysical speculation.

Ivan Pavlov

Russian physiologist (1849–1936) who won the 1904 Nobel Prize for digestion research and discovered the conditioned reflex.

Conditioned Reflex

Learned response where a previously neutral stimulus (CS) elicits a response after pairing with an unconditioned stimulus (US).

Unconditioned Reflex

Innate, automatic response (UR) triggered by an unconditioned stimulus, e.g., salivation to food powder.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

Naturally effective stimulus that automatically elicits an unlearned (unconditioned) response.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Originally neutral stimulus that, after pairing with a US, elicits a conditioned response.

Excitation (Pavlov)

Brain activity leading to overt behavior; opposite of inhibition.

Vladimir Bechterev

Russian neurologist (1857–1927) who studied reflexology, coined the term association reflex, and criticized Pavlov’s saliva method.

Association Reflex

Bechterev’s term for conditioned reflexes observed mainly through muscular (not salivary) responses, often in humans.

Reflexology

Bechterev’s program studying relationships between environmental stimuli and observable behavior through reflexes.

John B. Watson

American psychologist (1878–1958) who founded behaviorism, advocating prediction and control of behavior via S-R psychology.

Stimulus-Response (S-R) Psychology

Watson’s framework explaining behavior as direct correlations between environmental stimuli and observable responses.

Psychology from the Standpoint of a Behaviorist

Watson’s 1919 book fully outlining his S-R behaviorist doctrine.

“Mystery Box” (Watson)

Watson’s dismissive label for the brain when used to explain behavior without observable evidence.

Four Types of Behavior (Watson)

Explicit learned, implicit learned, explicit unlearned, and implicit unlearned behaviors encompassing all human actions.

Explicit Learned Behavior

Overt, acquired actions such as speaking, writing, or playing sports.

Implicit Learned Behavior

Hidden, acquired physiological responses like increased heart rate at the dentist’s drill.

Explicit Unlearned Behavior

Innate, observable acts such as grasping, blinking, or sneezing.

Implicit Unlearned Behavior

Innate, internal physiological activities like glandular secretion and circulatory adjustments.

Subvocal Speech

Watson’s idea that thinking is silent, slight muscular movements of speech organs—internalized language behavior.

Fear, Rage, Love (Watson)

Three inherited basic emotions in infants; all other adult emotions are learned derivatives of them.

Little Albert Experiment

Watson & Rayner’s 1920 study showing conditioned fear in an infant, illustrating emotion transfer through learning.

William McDougall

British-American psychologist (1871–1938) who promoted instinct theory, purposive behavior, and opposed strict behaviorism.

Instinct Theory (McDougall)

View that human behavior is driven by innate instincts linked to specific emotions, not just conditioning.

Primary Instincts

McDougall’s list of 18 fundamental innate drives (e.g., curiosity, aggression) motivating behavior.

Purposive (Goal-Directed) Behavior

McDougall’s concept that actions are oriented toward goals, emphasizing intentionality over mere reaction.

Teleology

Explanation of behavior in terms of goals or purposes, central to McDougall’s theories.

Parapsychology Laboratory (Duke)

Research center founded by McDougall and J.B. Rhine to study extrasensory perception and related phenomena.