Extra S4

Question 1

What indicated a science?

Answer 1

It should be supported by empirical evidence and be based on this evidence.
It should be falsifiable, that is, it should be possible for the theory or study to be proven wrong.
There must be a history of independent attempts to test the theory or replicate the study.

Question 2

What does behaviorism prioritize?

Answer 2

Originally, traditional behaviorism put aside the intrapsychic to focus on observable behavior; that is, it prioritizes the objective over the subjective.

Question 3

What is an operant response?

Answer 3

(stimulus-behavior-response)

Question 4

What is simple conditioning?

Answer 4

behavior can be modified through pleasant or unpleasant stimuli that are repeatedly presented

Question 5

History of the cognitive approach?

Answer 5

1. Introspection
2. Psychoanalysis
3. Behaviorism
4. Cognitive Psychology
5. Conduct of the Economy

Question 6

Psychoanalysis - drives and desires:

Answer 6

The conscious must control these drives and desires, but the unconscious can make us not control it.

Question 7

Pigeon experiment (1948)

Answer 7

Experiment
1. Pigeons were brought to a state of hunger, reduced to 75% of their well-fed weight.
2. They were placed in a cage with a food hopper that could be presented for five seconds at a time.
3. Instead of the food being given as a result of any specific action by the pigeon, it was presented at regular intervals, regardless of the pigeon’s behavior.

Observation
1. Over time, Skinner observed that the pigeons began to associate whatever random action they were doing when food was delivered with the delivery of the food itself.
2. This led the pigeons to repeat these actions, believing (in anthropomorphic terms) that their behavior was causing the food to appear.

Findings
1. In most cases, pigeons developed different “superstitious” behaviors or rituals. For instance, one pigeon would turn counter-clockwise between food presentations, while another would thrust its head into a cage corner.
2. These behaviors did not appear until the food hopper was introduced and presented periodically.
3. These behaviors were not initially related to the food delivery but became linked in the pigeon’s mind due to the coincidental timing of the food dispensing.
4. The behaviors seemed to be associated with the environment, suggesting the pigeons were responding to certain aspects of their surroundings.
5. The rate of reinforcement (how often the food was presented) played a significant role. Shorter intervals between food presentations led to more rapid and defined conditioning.
6. Once a behavior was established, the interval between reinforcements could be increased without diminishing the behavior.

Question 8

Conduct of the Economy

Answer 8

It studies decisions and tries to include irrational variables to predict human behavior.

Question 9

Conduct of the Economy - Biases:

Answer 9

They are systematic
They are recurring, predictable, and common in humans.
Irrationality is not an occasional deviation, but the norm.

Question 10

Types of long-term memory

Answer 10

episodic, procedural, semantics