Cognitive Psychology: Behaviorism

Cognition is a primary approach in psychology, often viewed as fundamental to understanding psychological processes.

Behaviorism: Dominant perspective in American psychology from early 1900s to mid-20th century.
- Focused on observable behavior and environmental stimuli.
- Emphasizes reinforcement and punishment in shaping future behavior.
- Major figures: John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner.

Known as the father of behaviorism.
Conducted experiments on fear, notably the Baby Albert experiment where:
- A child was conditioned to fear a white rat through loud noises.
- Demonstrated classical conditioning and generalization of fear to similar stimuli.

Known for his work on operant conditioning and reinforcement.
Developed concepts such as shaping to teach complex behaviors by reinforcing small steps.
Used animal training examples, like teaching pigeons to bowl, to illustrate operant conditioning.

While behaviorism contributes significantly to understanding learning through reinforcement, it is limited in its explanation of cognitive processes.
Behaviorists reject the study of mental processes since they cannot be objectively measured, leading to the belief that unobserved mental states do not exist.
The lack of recognition for internal thoughts, plans, and strategies undermines the complexity of human cognition.

Established rigorous experimental methodologies in psychology.
Emphasized the importance of operational definitions in research, which aids clarity and replication in experiments.
Validated that many forms of learning can occur through behavioral principles (operant and classical conditioning).

Gestalt Psychology: Emerged as a counterpoint to behaviorism in Europe.
- Focuses on the holistic nature of perception and how sensory inputs are organized.
- Key slogan: "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
- Emphasizes that perception is automatic and that people may see patterns (i.e., faces) even when explicit features are missing.

Frederick Bartlett challenged the behaviorist perspective with his work on memory:
- Introduced concepts of misremembering and schema theory, suggesting that people reconstruct memories based on existing knowledge rather than exact recollection.
- Conducted experiments where individuals recalled stories from unfamiliar cultures, leading to distorted recollections based on their own experiences.

The year 1956 is recognized as the birth of cognitive psychology, marking a shift away from behaviorism.
Researchers began to publish studies on cognitive processes like memory, language, and problem-solving.
Conference at MIT united forward-thinking researchers, leading to the establishment of cognitive psychology.

Critiqued behaviorism's inability to explain the complexity of language acquisition:
- Argued for the existence of an innate capacity for language learning in humans.

Jean Piaget posited a developmental theory of cognitive growth that challenges behaviorist views:
- Suggested that children must reach certain cognitive maturity before understanding complex concepts (e.g., conservation of volume).

The IPA likens the mind to a computer, processing information in a serial manner (one step at a time).
Atkinson-Shiffrin Model: Describes human memory in three stages:
1. Sensory Memory: Briefly holds information from the environment.
2. Short-term Memory (or Working Memory): Holds information temporarily for further processing.
3. Long-term Memory: Stores information indefinitely.

Advancements in neuroscience allow for direct observation of brain function:
- Brain Lesions: Studying damage caused by injury or illness to correlate effects with functions.
- PET Scans: Measure brain activity through changes in blood flow, though indirect and slow.
- MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): Provide structural images based on blood flow without radioactive dye.
- Electroencephalograms (EEGs): Measure electrical activity in the brain, useful for understanding immediate responses to stimuli, though subject to noise in data.

Cognition and its study have evolved significantly, moving away from purely behaviorist approaches to incorporate a greater understanding of mental processes, supported by advancing research methodologies and insights from neuroscience.