1. Behaviorism
Ms.Carmelitano

2. What is Behaviorism
A field of psychology in which researchers believe behavior can be molded with environmental stimuli
Classical Conditioning
A learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimuli and a naturally occurring stimulus
Learning occurs through interactions with the environment
The environment shapes behavior
This occurs when a neutral signal is placed before a naturally occurring reflex
Operant Conditioning
A method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior
An association is made between the behavior and the reward/punishment

3. Basic Principles of Classical Conditioning
1. The Unconditioned Stimulus
A naturally occurring stimulus that triggers an unconscious response
You smell your favorite cookies baking – or a cookie candle, and immediately feel hungry – the smell is the unconditioned stimulus
2. The Unconditioned Response
The unlearned response that occurs naturally in response to the unconditioned stimulus
Your feeling of hunger when you smell the cookies
3. The Conditioned Stimulus
A previously neutral stimulus, that is associated with the unconditioned stimulus. Eventually, it will become trigger a conditioned response.
Suppose when you smell the cookies, you also hear a whistle. This is unrelated to the food, but if you always hear it when you smell the cookies, it becomes a conditioned stimulus
4. The Conditioned Response
The learned response to the conditioned stimulus.
You now become hungry when you hear a whistle

4. Basic Principles of Classical Conditioning
3. The Conditioned Stimulus
A previously neutral stimulus, that is associated with the unconditioned stimulus. Eventually, it will become trigger a conditioned response.
Suppose when you smell the cookies, you also hear a whistle. This is unrelated to the food, but if you always hear it when you smell the cookies, it becomes a conditioned stimulus
4. The Conditioned Response
The learned response to the conditioned stimulus.
You now become hungry when you hear a whistle

5. Ivan Pavlov Russian physiologist First studied behaviorism
Pavlov’s Dogs (1890’s)
Pavlov showed that he could condition dogs to salivate when they heard a metronome, even if food was not present
Unconditioned Stimulus and Response
Dogs naturally salivate when they smell food
Pavlov played a metronome every time food was presented to the dogs
Conditioned Stimulus and Response
The dogs began to salivate when they heard the ticking, even when no food was present

6. Fear: John B. Watson (1920’s)
Watson believed that non-physiological behaviors could also be conditioned.
He studied the emotion of fear
Little Albert: a nine-month old baby who initially showed no fear of “white, fluffy animals”
Watson repeatedly paired the presentation of rats, rabbits and monkeys with a loud noise
The noise scared the child
Soon, Little Albert associated the feeling of being scared with the animals
He began to cry whenever present with fuzzy white objects
He had been conditioned to have a phobia which was not there before

7. Breakdown Previous to the experiment the rat was a neutral stimulus
The unconditioned stimulus was the loud sounds
The unconditioned response was fear due to the noise
The conditioned stimulus was the rat (paired with the noise)
The conditioned response was fear of white objects
(This is one reason why we may have phobias that may seem irrational)

8. B.F Skinner 1938: Operant Conditioning
Skinner believed that behaviors can only be learned through a system of punishments and rewards
Positive reinforcements (rewards) will result in a behavior being strengthened
Negative reinforcements (punishments) will result in a behavior being weakened or lost
Pieces of the Puzzle:
Neutral Operant
Responses from the environment that do not increase or decrease the chance of behavior being repeated
Reinforce
Responses from the environment that increase the probability that a behavior will be repeated
Punisher
Response from the environment that decrease the probability that a behavior will be repeated

9. The Skinner Box (1930’s)
Skinner created a chamber that contained a bar or key that an animal could press and in order to obtain food
A rat was placed in this chamber. When the rat pressed the lever food was released
The rats associated the lever with reward
Watson noticed that while in the box, they spent more time manipulating the lever, than they did on any other behavior
Watson then placed the rats in a box with an electrified floor
The lever stopped the electrical shock
Watson noted that as soon as the rats were placed in a box, they went straight to the lever before any other behavior.
He later repeated the experiment with pigeons
The pigeons did not press a lever, but were given food after making a certain motion
He found that the pigeons began to make this motion more often because they associate it with food