Chapter 11: Behaviorism Part 2 Flashcards
What was the IQ Zoo?
A zoo established by Keller and Marian Breland- former psychologists who earned a living by applying conditioning techniques to animal behavior. Used techniques learned from BF Skinner. 140 trained animal shows at tourist attractions
What are the 3 stages of behaviorism?
Stage 1: Watson’s behaviorism
Stage 2: Neobehaviorism
Stage 3: Sociobehaviorism
When did Watson’s behaviorism peak?
1924
What is neobehaviorism?
Believes that the core of psychology is the study of learning. Most behavior, no matter how complex, can be accounted for by the laws of conditioning. Psychology must adopt the principle of operationism
Who were the three neobehaviorists?
Tolman, Hull, Skinner
What is sociobehaviorism?
A return to the consideration of cognitive processes while maintaining a focus on the observation of overt behavior.
Who were the sociobehaviorists?
Bandura and Rotter
What did Percy W. Bridgman promote?
Promoted operationism
What is operationism?
The idea that the validity of any scientific finding is based on the validity of the methods used to arrive at that conclusion. Physical concepts must be defined precisely. Concepts that cannot be operationalized should be discarded.
What did critics of operationism say?
It was really just a version of British Empiricism
Who was Edward Chace Tolman?
Started as an engineering student, transitioned into Psychology at Harvard. Acquainted with Watsn and behaviorism in the last year of his study. Taught comparative psychology at UOFC Berkley.
What was Edward Chace Tolman an avid supporter for using for research?
Rats for psychological testing.
What is purposive behaviorism?
Combining the objective study of behavior with the consideration of goal orientation. All actions are oriented towards achieving a goal or learning the means to an end.
What did Watsonian behaviorists criticize about purposive behaviorism?
Referencing purposiveness implies recognition of conscious processes
What was Tolman’s counter argument to the Watsonian behaviorists?
Measurements taken are stated in terms of changes in overt responses as a function of learning or experience. So long as measurements yield objective data, it is still in the spirit of behaviorism.
What are intervening variables?
A set of unobservable and inferred factors within an organism that connects the stimulus and response (ex: cognitions, expectancies, purposes, appetites). Need to be operationalized (ex: hunger measured by length of time between meals)
What is the S - R -O model of intervening variables?
Behavior (R) is a function of five observable independent variables (S), and there are also factors within an organism (O) that influence responses (mediating factor)
What are the 5 observable independent variables?
- Environmental Stimuli
- Physiological Drives
- Heredity
- Previous training
- Age
Which of Thorndikes idea’s did Tolman reject?
Law of effect. Tolman believed that reward or reinforcement has little influence on learning, and instead believed that reward or reinforcement enhances performance by influencing motivations.
How did Tolman test his learning theory?
Group A: Rats were fed after a successful maze run
Group B: Rats not fed after successful maze run
What were the results of Tolman’s experiments?
Rats in group A ran the maze faster after 10 trials, whereas rats in Group B actually increased their time in the 10th run.
What would behaviorists conclude from Tolmans experiment?
Group A learned, Group B did not
What did Tolman conclude from his experiment?
Group B rats did learn in unrewarded runs- latent learning wherein providing reinforcement motivated the rats to clear the maze faster
What was Tolman’s cognitive explanation for learning?
Rats develop a cognitive map of the maze due to sheer exposure. Providing reinforcement motivated the rats to clear it faster.
Who was Clark Leonard Hull?
Very motivated to succeed, started in engineering and went to psychology..
What areas did Clark Leonard Hull contribute to?
Concept formation Substance effects on behavioral efficiency Aptitude testing Motivation Conditioning and Learning
What was Hull’s approach?
Mechanistic in nature- he regarded Watson’s behaviorism was simple and naive.
Who was the most cited psychologist of all time?
Clark Leonard Hull, 40% of all experimental articles and 70% of all articles on learning and motivation
How did Hull view human behavior?
Human nature described in mechanistic terms. Regarded behavior as automatic and capable of being reduced to the language of physics.
What are the 4 methods that Hull considered to be useful?
- Simple observation
- Systematic controlled observation
- Experimental testing of hypotheses
4> Hypothetico-deductive model
What are the 7 steps of the hypothetico-deductive method?
- Identify problem statement
- Develop testable, falsifiable hypothesis
- Determine method of experimental test
- Conduct study and collect data
- Analyze data and interpret results
- Identify limitations and future directions
- Repeat process with new knowledge.
What did Hull believe to be the basis of motivation?
Drives