Behaviorism

2. Behaviorism History of Psychology Sara Barnett Class 7

3. Food for Thought • Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select -- doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.--John Watson, Behaviorism, 1930

4. Agenda • Announcements • Review of the History of Behaviorism • Review of Learning Theory • Review of Treatment Methods in Behavioral Therapy • Visualization Exercise • Questions, Comments, Concerns

5. Announcement • Unit 7 Project is due next Tuesday – suggested outline is posted in Document Sharing • Good job on DBs and projects thus far!

6. Behaviorism • The study of observable human behavior • Dominant school of thought in the 1920s • Basis for learning theory (classical conditioning, operant conditioning, observational learning) • Famous names: John Watston & BF Skinner

7. John B. Watson • John Broadus Watson (1878-1958) • First PhD from University of Chicago (1904) • Professor/researcher at Johns Hopkins University - Private experience of the mind = too vague to measure/accurately assess - Psychologists should focus solely on what people do - Psychologists should study how to predict and control behavior, for the betterment of society - Studied animal behavior as means for studying that of people (influenced by Pavlov; famous for Little Albert experiment)

8. BF Skinner • Burrhus Frederick Skinner (1904-1990) • Completed PhD at Harvard - Sought to understand how animals learn to act - Built “conditioning chamber” – identified principal of reinforcement - Advised the society incentivise healthy living and good will using this principal

9. Criticisms of Behaviorism • Ignores the mental process (i.e., doesn’t explain how children learn language) • Ignored evolutionary theory (i.e., why does a rate associate nausea with food more so than it does with light) • Ignored alternative theories on intrinsic motivation and non-rational actions

10. Learning in Behaviorism • Classical Conditioning • Operant Conditioning • Observational Learning

11. Example of Classical Conditioning • You eat a new food and then get sick because of the flu. However, you develop a dislike for the food and feel nauseated whenever you smell it. • This example is classical conditioning because nausea is an automatic response. • The flu sickness is the US. • The nausea is the UR. • The new food is the CS. • The nausea to the new food is the CR.

12. Examples of Classical Conditioning • An individual receives frequent injections of drugs, which are administered in a small examination room at a clinic. The drug itself causes increased heart rate but after several trips to the clinic, simply being in a small room causes an increased heart rate. • This example is classical conditioning because the increased heart rate is an automatic response. • The drug is the US. • The accelerated heart rate is the UR. • The small room is the CS. • The accelerated heart rate to the room is the CR.

13. Examples of Operant Conditioning • A lion in a circus learns to stand up on a chair and jump through a hoop to receive a food treat. • This example is operant conditioning because standing on a chair and jumping through a hoop are voluntary behaviors. • The food treat is a positive reinforcement because it is given and it increases the behavior.

14. Examples of Operant Conditioning • Your car has a red, flashing light that blinks annoyingly if you start the car without buckling the seat belt. You become less likely to start the car without buckling the seat belt. • This example is operant conditioning because buckling a seat belt is voluntary. • The flashing light is a positive punishment. • The consequence is given . • The behavior of not buckling the seat belt decreases.

15. Observant Learning • Observational learning (also known as vicarious learning, social learning, or modeling) is a type of learning that occurs as a function of observing, retaining and replicating novel behavior executed by others • Note: observational learning is NOT the same as imitation

16. Behavioral Therapy • Aims to treat psychopathology through techniques designed to reinforce desired and extinguish undesired behaviors • Based on the notion that retraining the behavior in turn retrains the mind • Most often used in combination with traditional counseling • Appropriate for short-term therapy • Proven effective in the treatment of phobias, in particular

17. Behavioral Therapy Techniques • Relaxation Techniques (imagery, meditation) • Homework (journaling, reading up on a subject, keeping a calendar of events) • Role-Play (practicing behaviors with the therapist) • Exposure Therapy (facing fears head on)

18. Questions • What do you think about these therapeutic techniques? • Which sounds like a technique that you would use? • Which sounds like a technique that would work for you as the client?

19. Visualization Exercise • Just relax…

20. Questions, Comments, Reflections? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????