210-02 History of Psychology Welcome to Seminar for Unit 7 With Professor Kimberly Maring

Today’s Focus Three stages of Behaviorism Skinner and Bandura and their contributions to the field. 

3 Stages of Behaviorism There are three stages in the progression of the behaviorist school of thought: Watson is foundational for the beginning of behaviorism. Watson’s Behaviorism (1915-1930) Burned all of his work before he died.

Edward Chace Tolman (1886–1959) 3 Stages of Behaviorism Watson’s Behaviorism (1915-1930) 2. Neobehaviorism (1930-1960) Tolman Hull Skinner Edward Chace Tolman (1886–1959) Clark Leonard Hull (1884–1952) B. F. Skinner (1904–1990)

3 Stages of Behaviorism Watson’s Behaviorism (1915-1930) Neobehaviorism (1930-1960) Tolman, Hull, Skinner Neo-neobehaviorism or sociobehaviorism (1960-1990) Social Cognitive Psychology Bandura, Rotter

Neobehaviorism with Tollman and Skinner Stage 2 of Behaviorism Neobehaviorism with Tollman and Skinner

Operationism Percy W. Bridgeman (1882-1961) respected physicist Nobel prize-winner from Harvard Insisted on discarding “pseudo-problems” (anything which cannot be measured; the soul; the conscience; the unseen) Finished the index to his 7-volume book Shipped to publisher Killed himself; an end to existence where there is nothing beyond that which is material

Operationism A major characteristic of neobehaviorism Sought to rid psychology of pseudo-problems Worked at making the language of neobehaviorism precise, mathematical, measurable.

Edward Chace Tolman (1886-1959) Purposive Behaviorism: Tolman’s system combined the objective study of behavior with the consideration of purposiveness or goal orientation in behavior. Tolman saw 5 variables which contributed to purposive behavior.

Purposive Behaviorism (Tolman) Behavior is a function of 5 variables: Environmental stimuli Physiological drives Heredity Previous training Age Intervening Variables: Unobserved and inferred factors within the organism that are the actual determinants of behavior. 1869 -- 1959

Skinner and Operant Conditioning Skinner developed the Operant chamber, or the Skinner box, to study operant conditioning. Pavlov studied respondent behavior – responses to conditioning

Baby in a Box Air crib, also called Skinner’s Baby in a Box Raised his second daughter in one 88F, 50% humidity Canvas mattress Air filter system Picture window

Reinforcement: Any event that strengthens the behavior it follows. Types of Reinforcers Reinforcement: Any event that strengthens the behavior it follows. Preview Question 7: What are the basic types of reinforcers?

Schedules of Reinforcement Continuous reinforcement refers to reinforcement being administered to each instance of a response Intermittent reinforcement lies between continuous reinforcement and extinction

An Example of Continuous Reinforcement Each instance of a smile is reinforced Continuous Reinforcement

Example of Fixed Ratio Reinforcement Every fourth instance of a smile is reinforced Fixed Ratio of 4

Example of Variable Ratio Reinforcement Random instances of the behavior are reinforced Variable Ratio of 4

Schedules of Reinforcement Fixed-ratio schedules are those where a response is reinforced only after a specified number of responses. This schedule produces a high, steady rate of responding with only a brief pause after the delivery of the reinforcer. Variable-ratio schedules occur when a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses. This schedule creates a high steady rate of responding. Gambling and lottery games are good examples of a reward based on a variable ratio schedule. Fixed-interval schedules are those where the first response is rewarded only after a specified amount of time has elapsed. This schedule causes high amounts of responding near the end of the interval, but much slower responding immediately after the delivery of the reinforcer. Example: Paychecks work on this schedule - every two weeks I got one. Variable-interval schedules occur when a response is rewarded after an unpredictable amount of time has passed. This schedule produces a slow, steady rate of response. My e-mail account works on this system - at varying intervals I get new mail. Unpredictable (or variable) schedule produces more consistent responding than a fixed schedule.

An aversive event that decreases the behavior it follows. Punishment An aversive event that decreases the behavior it follows. Preview Question 9: How does punishment affect behavior?

Punishment Although there may be some justification for occasional punishment (Larzelaere & Baumrind, 2002), it usually leads to negative effects. Conveys no information to the organism; what not to do, rather than what to do.

Neo-neobehaviorism Social Cognitive Theory with Bandura and Rotter Stage 3 of Behaviorism Neo-neobehaviorism Social Cognitive Theory with Bandura and Rotter

QUESTION What types of behaviors are acquired as a result of observational learning? How is modeling used to change behavior?

Bandura's Experiments: Social Learning Theory Bandura's Bobo doll study (1961) indicated that individuals (children) learn through imitating others who receive rewards and punishments.

Social Learning Theory Bandura’s studies show that antisocial models (family, neighborhood or TV) may have antisocial effects.

Television and Observational Learning Gentile et al., (2004) shows that children in elementary school who are exposed to violent television, videos, and video games express increased aggression. What do you think?

Albert Bandura (1925 - ) Vicarious reinforcement Self-Efficacy: One’s sense of self-esteem and competence in dealing with life’s problems. To what degree do you feel you have some effect over what happens in your life?

Julian B Rotter (1916 - ) http://psych.fullerton.edu/jmearns/rotter.htm Rotter sees personality, and therefore behavior, as always changeable. Change the way the person thinks, or change the environment the person is responding to, and behavior will change. He does not believe there is a critical period after which personality is set. But, the more life experience you have building up certain sets of beliefs, the more effort and intervention required for change to occur. Rotter conceives of people in an optimistic way. He sees them as being drawn forward by their goals, seeking to maximize their reinforcement, rather than just avoiding punishment.

Julian B. Rotter BP = f(E & RV) Behavior Potential is a function of expectancy and reinforcement value. The likelihood of a person exhibiting a specific behavior is a function of the probability that the behavior will lead to a given outcome and the desirability of that outcome. http://psych.fullerton.edu/jmearns/rotter.htm  Rotter chose the empirical law of effect as his motivating factor. The law of effect states that people are motivated to seek out positive stimulation, or reinforcement, and to avoid unpleasant stimulation. Rotter combined behaviorism and the study of personality, without relying on physiological instincts or drives as a motive force.

4 Main Components of Rotter’s Social Learning Theory Julian B. Rotter 4 Main Components of Rotter’s Social Learning Theory Behavior potential Expectancy Reinforcement value The psychological situation. http://psych.fullerton.edu/jmearns/rotter.htm  Rotter chose the empirical law of effect as his motivating factor. The law of effect states that people are motivated to seek out positive stimulation, or reinforcement, and to avoid unpleasant stimulation. Rotter combined behaviorism and the study of personality, without relying on physiological instincts or drives as a motive force.

Rotter’s Locus of Control External Locus of Control Individual believes that his/her behavior is guided by fate, luck, or other external circumstances Internal Locus of Control Individual believes that his/her behavior is guided by his/her personal decisions and efforts.

Gestalt Principles of Perceptual Organization Max Wertheimer (1880–1943) Phi Phenomenon Wolfgang Köhler (1887–1967) Restructuring the perceptual field Kurt Lewin (1890–1947) Life space: all events that influence a person’s behavior

Differences between Behaviorists and Gestalt Psychology Behaviorism refused to acknowledge the existence of consciousness. Gestalt Psychologists Gestalt Psychology accepted the study of consciousness but criticized the attempt to analyze it into elements.

Behaviorist’s Response to Gestalt Psychology Appreciated? Nope! “A prophet is not appreciated in his home town.” Attacked a lack of rigor in its definitions Gestalt preoccupation with theory Gestalt qualitative results and lack of statistical analysis

References Littell, T. (2009). Power Point Presentation of Kaplan University. Schultz, D. P. & Schultz, S. E. (2011). A history of modern psychology (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth- Cengage Learning.