BEHAVIORISM THE BEGINNINGS Chapter 10 Ms Wilson MS

BEHAVIORISM: THE BEGINNINGS Chapter 10 Ms. Wilson, MS, LPC

Topics 1. John B. Watson (1878 -1958) 2. The Methods of Behaviorism 3. The Subject Matter of Behaviorism 4. The Psychologist, the Baby, and the Hammer: Don’t Try This at Home! 6. Behaviorism’s Popular Appeal 7. An Outbreak of Psychology 8. Criticisms of Watson’s Behaviorism William Mc. Douggall Karl Lashley 9. Contributions of Watson’s Behaviorism

John B. Watson (1878 -1958) • Founded behaviorism (did not originate it) • His efforts are a crystallization of the ideas already emerging within psychology • Distinction between Watson and his predecessors: • Watson announced an intentional goal of founding a new school John B. Watson (1878 -1958)

The Development of Behaviorism • Watson: • 1903 -1908: Instructor, at University of Chicago • Psychic or mental concepts have no value for a science of psychology • Official launch of behaviorism: Psychology as the Behaviorist Views it. Psychological Review (Watson, 1913) • Argued for the acceptance of animal psychology and described the advantages of using animal subjects in psychological research • Wanted behaviorism to be of practical value; applied to the real world as well

The Reaction to Watson’s Program Major points of Watson’s Psychology: • Psychology is the science of behavior • Rejected the introspective method • Use of animals Psychologists should discard all mentalists ideas and use only behavior concepts such as stimulus and response • Psychology’s goal is to predict and control behavior • • Watson’s program was not embraced immediately or universally • • Critics questioned his rejection of introspection By the 1920 s: • Universities were offering courses in behaviorism • Term was becoming acceptable in the professional journals

The Methods of Behaviorism • Watson insisted that psychology restrict itself to the data of the natural sciences (what could be observed) • Methods: • Observation with and without the use of instruments • Testing methods • The verbal report method • The conditioned reflex method • New methods = change in the nature and role of the human subject in the psychology laboratory Subjects no longer responsible for the observing • Role of experimenter is now more important than the subject • Subjects merely behaved: reinforced the view of people as machines •

The Subject Matter of Behaviorism • Focus on elements of behavior: body’s muscular movements and glandular secretions • Psychology would deal only with acts that could be described objectively, without using subjective or mentalistic terminology • Four types of behavior • Explicit (overt) learned behavior • talking, writing, etc. • Implicit (covert) learned behavior • increased heart rate caused by a feared stimulus • Explicit unlearned behavior • grasping, blinking, sneezing, etc. • Implicit learned behavior • glandular secretions • Underlying belief: all areas of behavior would be considered in objective S-R terms

Instincts • 1914, Watson accepted the role of instincts in behavior • 1925: Watson revised his position and eliminated the concept of instinct • Refused to admit to his system any inherited capacities, temperaments, or talents of any kind • Behaviors that seemed inherited were traced to early childhood training • Optimistic viewpoint: children could be trained to be whatever one wanted them to be

Emotions • Emotions: physiological responses to specific stimuli • Physical manifestations: blushing, perspiration, increased pulse rate • Denies any conscious perception of the emotion or the sensations from the internal organs • Three primary unlearned emotions: • Fear-produced by loud noises and loss of support • Rage-restriction of bodily movements • Love-rocking, patting, caressing

Thought Processes • Watson: thought processes occur in the absence of muscular movements • They are not accessible to observation and experimentation • Attempted to reduce thinking to implicit motor behavior • Reduced thinking to sub-vocal talking that relies on the same muscular habits we learn for overt speech

On Childrearing Practices Psychological Care of the Infant (1928)

The Psychologist, the Baby, and the Hammer: Don’t Try This at Home! • “Little Albert” study: • John Watson and Rosalie Rayner conducted experiments to test learning • A child is distracted while Watson strikes a steel rod with a hammer • The child reacts violently and begins crying • Once the hammer strike is paired with previously neutral stimuli (white rat), the stimuli begins to elicit fear response • Watson’s conditioning works when associations are made between stimuli and response • Fear generalized to other fuzzy objects (e. g. , dog, fur coat, Santa Claus mask)

Little Albert • Conclusion: adult fears, anxieties, and phobias are conditioned emotional responses that were established in infancy and childhood and stay with us throughout our lives • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=9 h. Bfn. XACs. OI

Albert, Peter, and the Rabbits • Conditioning of little Albert leads Watson to reject the notion of the unconscious because it could not be objectively observed • Mary Cover Jones: conducts a study with three-year- old Peter, who already showed a fear of rabbits • The rabbit cage was placed at a distance • Each day the cage was moved closer to Peter • Successfully eliminates the fear response through counter conditioning • Precursor to behavioral therapy

Behaviorism’s Popular Appeal • Reasons for popularity of behaviorism • Possibility of controlled behavior; free of myths, customs, and conventional behaviors • Studies provide evidence that all undesirable behaviors can be eliminated, especially in childhood • Theory does not blame individual for negative behaviors • Replace religion-based ethics with experimental ethics

An Outbreak of Psychology • 1920 s, following behaviorism’s announcement: • General public was convinced that psychology provided the path to health, happiness, and prosperity • Practical topics: curing the blues, the psychology of crooks, fears and worries, the meaning of IQ scores, inferiority complexes, family conflicts, and why we drink coffee • Teaches the public how to explore one’s mind

Criticisms of Watson’s Behaviorism • Criticized because system: • Proposes sweeping revision • Blatantly attacks the existing order • Suggests that the earlier version of the truth be discarded • Is said to have omitted important components (e. g. , sensory and perceptual processes)

Criticisms of Watson’s Behaviorism (cont’d. ) • Karl Lashley (1890 -1958): • Former advocate of Watson’s behaviorism • Two famous principles: • Law of mass action • Principle of equipotentiality • William Mc. Dougall (1871 -1938): • Forceful opponent of Watson • Known for his instinct theory of behavior: suggests there are innate tendencies to thought and action

Contributions of Watson’s Behaviorism • An effective agent of the Zeitgeist • More objective in methods and terminology • Overcame earlier positions in psychology • Strong conceptual base for modern psychology • Watsonian behaviorism was replaced by other forms of psychological objectivism that built on it