1. A non mentalistic view of Psychology
Early Behaviorism
A non mentalistic view of Psychology

2. The main founding influences:
Animal psychology's move from mentalism (the Clever Hans phenomenon)
Ivan Petrovitch Pavlov( )
Edward Lee Thorndike ( )
John Broadus Watson ( )

3. Clever Hans

4. An intelligent horse?
Clever Hans was a horse trained by Wilhelm Von Osten, a retired mathematics teacher
It was established that there was no fraud
A grad student, Oskar Pfungst, demonstrated that the horse had been unintentionally conditioned by its owner.

5. What did the horse learn?
Clever Hans picked up UNCONSCIOUS physical cues people who knew the answer gave, cues to start tapping his hoof, and cues to stop.
Still a pretty clever horse!

6. Is this how ESP works?
Try this site: How does it work?

7. How does knowing this lead one to behaviorism?
Main

8. Who influenced Pavlov?
The physiological work of William Beaumont ( )
An expanded concept of reflex to explain higher functions of thinking, willing, judging -pioneered by Sechenov ( )
The ideas of Descartes ( ) about reflexes

9. Pavlov’s work: Work on the digestive system. Nobel price in 1904
Notices “mental secretions” -anticipated responses of the animals becoming familiar to the setting.
Studied these “mental secretions” -they become what we know as “conditioned reflex”.

10. Important concepts Pavlov brought us
The whole notion of conditioned reflex
Concepts of generalization, differentiation, excitation, inhibition, higher level conditioning
Concept of experimental neurosis

11. Conditioned reflex Pavlov
A neutral stimulus (ex: bell) is associated with an stimulus (ex: food) that creates a reflex response (ex: salivation)
Eventually, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus and triggers the response.
This is an EXCITATION type of mechanism
Pavlov

12. Generalization Pavlov
The subject responds not only to the original conditioned stimulus, but to others that resemble it.
This is an EXCITATION type of mechanism
Pavlov

13. Differentiation Also called discrimination
Inhibiting PART of the generalization response so that the organism salivates for example to tone 1, and does not salivate to tone 2

14. Differentiation (2) Pavlov
The organism learns that food NEVER follows tone 2, so it INHIBITS its conditioned response to it.
This is an INHIBITION mechanism
Pavlov

15. Experimental neurosis
Start with a normal differentiation between, for example two tones.
Make the differentiation more and more refined so that the difference between tone1 and tone2 is smaller and smaller
When the organism can no longer tell the difference between tone1 and tone2, experimental neurosis results (after a time)

16. Why experimental neurosis?
Because of the conflict between the EXCITATION process and the INHIBITION process.
(Similar conditions can be created with other kinds of conflict: ex: approach-avoidance)

17. Applications?
Main

18. Pavlov today?
Visit the Pavlov Institute of Physiology in Russia

19. Edward Lee Thorndike (1874-1949)
Started in animal psychology, studying puzzle boxes
Then applied the principles to human learning

20. Who influenced Thorndike?
William James (read him, studied under him, James even hosted his chicks)
McKeen Cattell drew him to Columbia where he continued his research
After graduation, applied his research to educational psychology

21. Cats, chicks and puzzleboxes

22. Puzzle boxes First random behaviors
Certain connections get stamped in or stamped out depending upon their consequences
The time required to solve the problem decreases as trials progress.

23. Laws of learning Law of effect. Law of exercise
An act with produces comfort is more likely to recur when the situation recurs. The opposite is true for an act that produces discomfort
Law of exercise
The more often a response is used in a situation, the stronger the connection

24. More about Thorndike A Thorndike site:

25. Thorndike's timeline 1874 The birth of Edward Lee Thorndike
1897 Applied for graduate program at Columbia University
1898 Awarded his doctorate
1899 Instructor in Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia
1905 Formalized the Law of Effect
1911 Published "Animal Intelligence"
1912 Elected President of American Psychological Association
1917 One of the first psychologist admitted to the National Academy of Sciences
1921 Ranked #1 as an American Men of Science.
1934 Elected President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
1939 Retired
1949 Thorndike died

26. John B. Watson ( )

27. Who influenced Watson?
Reacts against Wundt and James -and their followers such as John Dewey-- though he studied at the U. of Chicago
Infuenced by Loeb (tropisms) and Henry Donaldson (white rat neurology) -studied the myelinization of white rat nervous system & consequent changes in the complexity of their behavior.
Pavlov

28. Watson's career Started at the U. of Chicago
Then went to John Hopkins for the next 12 years ( )
Was fired because of an affair w/ Rosemarie Rayner (married her later)
Went into advertising and did very well there

29. Watson’s main contributions
Official founder of behaviorism as an independent and valid approach to psychology
Is a radical behaviorist
Introduces the notion of conditioned emotional response (little Albert)
Peter (Mary Cover Jones): precursor to behavioral therapy
Three emotions: fear, rage, love -all emotional life built on those
Applies this to advertising

30. The End