History of psychology part 2 unit 8 Flashcards
What was the main goal of Behaviourism?
To create a psychology that is a natural, objective science, studying only observable and measurable phenomena.
Why was the early 20th century significant for Behaviourism?
It was a crisis period for psychology, with Freud’s psychoanalysis and Gestalt psychology breaking away from introspection-based approaches.
Who is considered the founder of Classical Behaviourism?
John B. Watson (1878–1958).
What is Pavlov best known for?
His work on Classical Conditioning, demonstrating how reflexes can be conditioned by association.
What is the difference between unconditioned and conditioned reflexes?
Unconditioned Reflex: An automatic response to a natural stimulus (e.g., salivating at food).
Conditioned Reflex: A learned response to a previously neutral stimulus (e.g., salivating at the sound of a bell).
What is extinction in Pavlov’s theory?
When the conditioned stimulus (e.g., a bell) is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (e.g., food), the conditioned response gradually disappears.
What was Bechterev’s focus in psychology?
He founded Reflexology, studying the relationship between external influences and observable behavior.
How did Bechterev’s approach differ from Pavlov’s?
Bechterev criticized Pavlov’s method as overly complicated and focused on studying motor reflexes instead of conditioned reflexes.
What did Bechterev study in relation to behavior?
The connection between behaviors like facial expressions and gestures and their physical, biological, and social conditions.
What are spontaneous recovery and disinhibition in Classical Conditioning?
Spontaneous Recovery: A conditioned response (CR) reappears after extinction following a rest period.
Example: A dog salivates to a bell again after a break.
Disinhibition: A new stimulus introduced during extinction causes the CR to return immediately.
Example: A dog salivates to a bell when paired with a sudden light flash.
Key Difference: Spontaneous recovery happens after rest, while disinhibition is triggered by a new stimulus.
What were Bechterev’s key contributions to psychology in Russia?
Established the first psychological laboratories in Russia at Kazan University (1886) and St. Petersburg.
Founded the Psychoneurological Institute in St. Petersburg.
What are Bechterev’s major written works?
Objective Psychology (1913).
General Principles of Human Reflexology (1923).
Who was John B. Watson, and what was his contribution to psychology?
American psychologist and founder of Classical Behaviourism.
Aimed to make psychology an objective science by focusing on observable behaviors rather than introspection.
Major influence: Prediction and control of behavior.
What is Stimulus-Response (S-R) psychology?
Behavior is a direct reaction to stimuli.
A stimulus (S) can be external (environment) or internal (physical state).
A response (R) is any action the organism takes in reaction to the stimulus.
What are Watson’s four types of behavior?
Explicit Learned: Observable and learned (e.g., talking, playing).
Implicit Learned: Hidden but learned (e.g., heart racing at a dentist).
Explicit Unlearned: Observable reflexes (e.g., blinking, sneezing).
Implicit Unlearned: Internal reflexes (e.g., glandular secretions).
What methods did Watson propose for studying behavior?
Observation: Natural or experimental.
Conditioned Reflex Method: Inspired by Pavlov and Bechterev.
Testing: Elicit behaviors without measuring abilities or personality.
Verbal Reports: Treated as observable behavior, not introspection.
What was Watson’s view on instincts and personality?
Humans have reflexes, not instincts (e.g., sucking, crying, breathing).
Personality is shaped by experience, not heredity.
Key Idea: Change experiences to change personality.
What was the Little Albert experiment?
Watson conditioned a child to fear a white rat by associating it with a loud noise.
Demonstrated that emotions like fear can be learned through conditioning.
Raised ethical concerns about research with children.
What shift did Watson bring to psychology?
He moved the focus from studying consciousness to predicting and controlling behavior.
Focused on inherited emotions like fear, anger, and love and their triggers.
Who was William McDougall, and what was his major contribution?
An American psychologist recognized as one of the founders of Social Psychology.
Studied the mind-body relationship and the scientific existence of the soul.
How did McDougall’s approach differ from Behaviorism?
McDougall opposed Behaviorism, arguing for a holistic approach to psychology.
He believed mental events could be studied by observing their effects on behavior.
What did McDougall say about instincts?
Instincts are innate and inherited motivations that drive behavior.
Example: Organisms are born with instincts like fear and curiosity, which guide actions.
What was McDougall’s stance on heredity?
He emphasized the role of heredity in behavior.
Supported eugenics, advocating for selective breeding to improve human traits.
What was McDougall’s belief about the soul?
He believed humans are composed of both a soul and body.
One of psychology’s tasks is to explain the relationship between the two, leading him to study phenomena like telepathy and near-death experiences
