Historical Figures in Experimental Psychology: Darwin, Pavlov, and Watson

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the contributions of Charles Darwin, Ivan Pavlov, and John B. Watson to experimental psychology and behaviorism.

Charles Darwin

A British scientist ($1809\text{--}1882$) who developed the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection, influencing psychology by showing that behavior and mental abilities evolved for survival.

Theory of Evolution

The process through which species change over time, moving away from the idea that species were fixed.

Natural Selection

The process where individuals with characteristics that help them survive are more likely to reproduce and pass those traits to their offspring.

Variation

Differences among individuals within a species, such as height, intelligence, or learning ability, which are necessary for evolution to occur.

Overproduction

When organisms produce more offspring than can survive, leading to competition for limited resources.

Struggle for Existence

The competition for limited food, water, and space that occurs within or between species and against environmental challenges.

Survival of the Fittest

A principle where "fittest" means being best adapted to the environment, such as having camouflage or a good memory, rather than just being physically strongest.

Gradual Evolution

The accumulation of small changes over many generations that eventually leads to new adaptations or the emergence of new species.

Ivan Pavlov

A Russian physiologist ($1849\text{--}1936$) known for discovering Classical Conditioning and introducing controlled laboratory experiments to psychology.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process occurring through association where a neutral stimulus becomes capable of producing a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally produces that response.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that naturally and automatically produces a response without prior learning, such as food.

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

A natural, unlearned reaction to an unconditioned stimulus, such as salivation in response to food.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A previously neutral stimulus that gains meaning and triggers a response after being paired with an unconditioned stimulus, such as a bell.

Conditioned Response (CR)

A learned response to a previously neutral stimulus that has become the conditioned stimulus.

Acquisition

The initial learning stage in classical conditioning where the Conditioned Stimulus (CS) and Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) are repeatedly paired.

Extinction

The process where a conditioned response weakens and eventually disappears when the Conditioned Stimulus (CS) is repeatedly presented without the Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS).

Spontaneous Recovery

The sudden reappearance of an extinguished response after an interval of time has passed.

Generalization

Responding in a similar way to stimuli that resemble the original conditioned stimulus, such as fearing all dogs after being bitten by one.

Discrimination

The learned ability to distinguish between different stimuli, such as being afraid of only large dogs but not small ones.

Taste Aversion

A real-life application of conditioning where a person becomes sick after eating a food and subsequently develops a dislike for it.

John B. Watson

An American psychologist ($1878\text{--}1958$) known as the Father of Behaviorism, who argued that psychology should focus only on observable actions.

Behaviorism

A school of psychology that views behavior as learned from the environment and emphasizes objective, scientific measurement over subjective introspection.

Introspection

A subjective research method focusing on conscious experiences that Watson sought to replace with objective observation.

Stimulus-Response (S-R) Theory

Watson's proposal that behavior follows a pattern where an environmental trigger (Stimulus) produces a specific reaction (Response).

Little Albert Experiment

A study by Watson and Rosalie Rayner where they conditioned a baby to fear a white rat by pairing it with a loud noise, demonstrating that emotional reactions can be learned and generalized.