behaviorism adler skinner observable behavior scientific inquiry speculation

Scientific behaviorism

1. Behaviorism

2. B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) Predetermined, lawful, and orderly . A product of past reinforcements. 1925 : Hamilton College. NY: degree in English, no courses in psychology Read about Pavlov’s and Watson’s experimental work 1931: Ph.D. from Harvard.

3. Dealt only with observable behavior The task of scientific inquiry: avoids speculations about hypothetical constructs and concentrates almost exclusively on observable behavior .  psychology must deal with the control and prediction of behavior and that behavior -not introspection, consciousness, or the mind-is the basic data of scientific psychology. 

4. Scientific Behaviorism Philosophy of Science Skinner believed that, because the purpose of science is to predict and control, psychologists should be concerned with determining the conditions under which human behavior occurs so that they can predict and control it.

5. Characteristics of Science Skinner held that science has three principle characteristics : (1) its findings are cumulative, ( 2) it rests on an attitude that values empirical observation, and  (3) it searchers for order and lawful relationships.

6. Conditioning A. Classical Conditionin a neutral (conditioned) stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus until it is capable of bringing about a previously unconditioned response, now called the conditioned response.

7. B. F. Skinner - Operant conditioning Watson, Pavlov - Respondent behavior: elicited by specific observable stimulus

8. Operant Conditioning reinforcement is used to increase the probability that a given behavior will recur. Three factors are essential in operant conditioning: (1) the antecedent, or environment in which behavior takes place ; (2) the behavior , or response; and ( 3) the consequence that follows the behavior .

9. Processes Generalization Discrimination

10. Reinforcers Non- reinforcers Positive reinforcements Negative reinforcements Primary reinforcements Secondary Reinforcements

11. intermittent schedules fixed-ratio , on which the organism is reinforced intermittently according to the number of responses it makes ; (2) variable-ratio, on which the organism is reinforced after an average of a predetermined number of responses;

12. (3) fixed-interval, on which the organism is reinforced for the first response following a designated period of time; and (4) variable interval, on which the organism is reinforced after the lapse of varied periods of time

13. LIMITED EFFECTS OF PUNISHMENT Punishment does not teach appropriate behaviors Must be delivered immediately & consistently May result in negative side effects Undesirable behaviors may be learned through modeling (aggression) May create negative emotions (anxiety & fear)

14.  The Human Organism A. Natural Selection As a species, our behavior is shaped by the contingencies of survival; that is, those behaviors (e.g., sex and aggression) that were beneficial to the human species tended to survive, whereas those that did not tended to drop out.

15. Cultural Evolution Those societies that evolved certain cultural practices (e.g. tool making and language) tended to survive.

16. Cultural Evolution Those societies that evolved certain cultural practices (e.g. tool making and language) tended to survive.

17.  Inner States Skinner recognized the existence of such inner states as drives and self-awareness, but he rejected the notion that they can explain behavior . To Skinner, drives refer to the effects of deprivation and satiation and thus are related to the probability of certain behaviors , but they are not the causes of behavior .

18. Complex Behavior Human behavior is subject to the same principles of operant conditioning as simple animal behavior , but it is much more complex and difficult to predict or control.

19. Control of Human Behavior Ultimately, all of a person's behavior is controlled by the environment. Societies exercise control over their members through laws, rules, and customs that transcend any one person's means of countercontrol . 

20. four basic methods of social control: (1) operant conditioning, including positive and negative reinforcement and punishment; (2) describing contingencies, or using language to inform people of the consequence of their behaviors ; (3) deprivation and satiation, techniques that increase the likelihood that people will behave in a certain way; and (4) physical restraint, including the jailing of criminals. 

21. measure of self-control  (1) physical restraint, ( 2) physical aids, such as tools; ( 3) changing environmental stimuli; ( 4) arranging the environment to allow escape from aversive stimuli; ( 5) drugs; and ( 6) doing something else.

22. The Unhealthy Personality A. Counteracting Strategies People can counteract excessive social control by (1) escaping from it,  (2) revolting against it, or (3) passively resisting it.

23. B. Inappropriate Behaviors Inappropriate behaviors follow from self-defeating techniques of counteracting social control or from unsuccessful attempts at self-control.

24. Psychotherapy operant conditioning principles to shape behavior in a therapeutic setting. Behavior therapists play an active role in the treatment process, using behavior modification techniques and pointing out the positive consequences of some behaviors and the aversive effects of others.

25. Skinner’s Theory “All we need to know in order to describe and explain behavior is this: actions followed by good outcomes are likely to recur , and actions followed by bad outcomes are less likely to recur.” (Skinner, 1953)

26. HOW COMPLEX BEHAVIORS ARE LEARNED Successive approximation/shaping = reinforcing behaviors as they come to approximate the desired behavior Superstitious Behavior = when persistent behaviors are reinforced coincidentally rather than functionally Self-control of behavior Stimulus avoidance Self-administered satiation Aversive stimulation Self-reinforcement