Study Unit 5 Flashcards
Skinner’s view of the person
Skinner’s theory was labelled as Radical behaviorism, and his view of the person can be described as evolutionistic and behaviorally deterministic.
With regards to evolutionism, Skinner believed that human behavior follows the same principles that determines the behavior of animals. Thus, he performed his experiments on animals, such as mice and pigeons, and then used the findings to make assumptions about human behavior. People create various behaviors, with no input from conscious processes, and the environment in question then determines what behavior is repeated in the future based on an evolutionary standpoint.
Environmental determinism is a philosophical assumption that argues that human behavior is a result of one’s environment, and that no other factors exert an influence.
He did not deny the existence of thoughts, feelings, and cognition, however he maintained than is unscientific and therefore frivolous to study. However, Skinner did believe that people do not possess ‘free will’, all behavior is a response to the environment brought about through operant conditioning.
Skinner’s structure of the personality
Skinner believed that the field of psychology should only study that which is observable in people, i.e. behavior and their environmental factors. No recognition should be given to subjective, internal processes.
He subsequently distinguished between two types of behavior:
Respondent behavior refers to a reaction that occurs after a stimulus. This stimulus is observable within the environment and causes the behavior in reaction to the stimulus. It includes reflexes, which are innate, as well as learnt responses that are a result of operant conditioning.
Operant behavior differs from respondent behavior in two specific manners. Firstly, operant behavior occurs spontaneously without any preceding stimulus. Secondly, this spontaneous behavior exerts an effect on the organism’s environment, and this effect influences whether the behavior will be repeated on not.
Skinner’s dynamic of the personality
B.F Skinner did not pay much attention to the role of motivation in human behavior since it is not objectively observable. He was more interested in the acquisition of behavior, and the role of environmental factors in learning new behaviors. His theory on the dynamics of personality can also be seen as a learning theory. Summarized, his theory states that an organism produces a certain behavior spontaneously and in turn the environment responds to this behavior. If the behavior is repeated due to the response, the behavior is said to have been reinforced or learnt.
We now turn to view his opinions on classical and operant conditioning:
Classical conditioning, which encompasses Pavlov’s experiments can be conflated with Skinner’s concept of respondent behavior. It refers to the process where an organism learns to associate a new stimulus with an existing response. This is achieved through frequent exposure of the neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit an unconditioned response. As exposure increases the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus which elicits a conditioned response which is identical to the unconditioned stimulus.
Operant conditioning differs from classical conditioning in a single, fundamental manner. With operant conditioning, a behavior is repeated in response to a change or stimulus within the environment after the behavior has taken place. The behavior precedes the stimulus. With classical or respondent conditioning, the stimulus precedes the behavior. The organism will repeat the behavior if the change in the environment that follows, is pleasant or provides satisfaction of a need. This concept was referred to as positive reinforcement. On the other end, negative reinforcement when a certain behavior leads to the removal of a negative stimulus in the environment. With both positive and negative reinforcement the outcome is an increase in the frequency of the reinforced behavior. Skinner also explained the effects of punishment, which acts to decrease the frequency of a certain behavior. It occurs when an aversive stimulus proceeds a behavior, or when a positive stimulus is removed because of an undesired behavior. Extinction occurs when no stimulus proceeds behavior, causing the behavior to gradually disappear.
Skinner also paid much attention to schedules of reinforcement, and their effect on conditioning. It was found that continuous reinforcement yields the fastest rate in both the conditioning of new behavior, as well as its extinction. The variable ratio scale yielded the most resistance against extinction and had the fastest response rate. The fixed interval schedule resulted in the slowest response rate.
Shaping refers to learning an organism a complex behavior by breaking it into smaller steps that are easier to learn. The researcher than teaches the organism to perform these smaller steps in quick succession until they can successfully perform the complex behavior.
Skinner’s Development of the personality
Although Skinner did not pay much attention to the development of personality, his theory greatly contributed to developmental psychology with regards to how learning takes place, and the effect it has on the development of behavior. With regards to language development in infants and toddlers, the parents will often make use of the techniques that encapsulate operant conditioning without noticing. As the child starts to make sounds that resemble words, the parents reward him/her with praise, thus reinforcing the child to repeat the sounds. Other sounds that do not resemble words are not rewarded, and eventually disappear.
Evaluation of Skinner’s theory
Although Skinner’s research on pigeons was praised for its empiricism, it was rejected and deemed unapplicable on human behavior. His theory remains as one of the most controversial, and some criticize his view on people as passive beings at the mercy of their environments. Within his theory lies a contradiction that was briefly touched on under ‘Optimal development’. Skinner believed that we as humans have no control over our behavior since it is controlled by external, environmental factors. However, he proposed that we can solve our problems by improving our environment. This contradicts his belief that we do not possess free will, since freedom of will is required to change one’s environment.
The praise that Skinner has received includes the controversial opinion that his theory is one of the most scientific to date. Although he tested exclusively on animals, subsequent testing of the theory on people have delivered positive results. Within the area of considering the influence of environmental factors on behavior, Skinner’s theory has immeasurable value.
A general standpoint is that Skinner’s work can be regarded as a good learning theory, but not necessarily as a personality theory, due to his disregard for the complexity of the human psyche which also influences behavior.
Skinner on Optimal development
Skinner did not write anything on optimal development, however when looking at his overarching theory one can draw two conclusions. Firstly, that optimal development relates to receiving primary and secondary reinforcement, whilst avoiding aversive reinforcement. But within this lies the question of how one can attain optimal development, if you have no control over your own behavior? Which brings in the second conclusion. Although contradictory, Skinner did believe, to a certain extent, that one can make decisions that will improve their environment, and thus their behavior. He believed himself to be one of the few to succeed in doing so.
Skinner on Psychopathology
Skinner did not attribute psychopathology to internal conflicts or feelings of guilt. Rather, he explained it in quite a simple manner. He argued that healthy people have acquired more ‘effective behaviors’ through conditioning which result in more positive reinforcements than forms of punishment. Maladapted, or neurotic people on the other hand have learnt fewer effective behaviors that result in more aversive reinforcers and punishment than positive reinforcement.
He regarded depression as the disappearance of an important positive reinforcer.
Skinner also believed that the behavior associated with psychoses had to have been reinforced through the individual’s environment in some way.
