Behaviorism Lecture

behaviorism

• objective psychology

• focus on behavior rather than introspection

• Russian’s led

Ivan Sechenov

• reflexes of the brain

• inhibition; stimulating responses

  e.g. frog experiments

Ivan Pavlov

• physiology

• body processes

e.g. digestion and salivation of dogs

• conditioned reflexes

classical conditioning

excitation & inhibition

• all nervous system can be characterized by these two things

• all processes are innate

• behavior is reflexive

• antecedent stimulation → response

• unconditioned stimuli = unconditioned response

Bechterev

• studied with wundt & charcot

• reflexology: objective study of reflexes, studying observable traits, became the foundation of Gestalt Principle and Behaviorism

John Watson

• white rat/maze experiment

• muscle memory

• intended to predict and control behavior

• forget mind body dualism and consciousness

• reflex response substitutes introspection

• fear, rage, love (infant study)

• habits and conditioned responses are connected to these 3 emotions (Little Albert experiment; Douglas Merritte)

• engineering: studied commercial management and anxiety

World War 1

• alpha test: literate

• beta test: illiterate

• against psychologist involvement in the war

William McDougall

• eugenics; acquired traits get passed through generations

• Hormic Psychology

• Instinct Theory of Human Behavior

• we behave with a goal in mind assigned to the behavior

• Battle of Behaviorism

• habits and thought are important in instinct and play a key role in survival

Legacy of John Watson

• neo-behaviorism

• laws of recency

• study of consciousness is speculative and unnecessary in psychology