Download Picture from Ladies` Home Journal

Mini Quiz
• 1. Behaviorists believe that all of the
important causes of behavior can be found
in an individual's
a.
b.
c.
d.
unconscious mind.
conscious mind.
personality traits.
environment.
Mini Quiz
• 2. Behaviorism has its philosophical roots
in
a.
b.
c.
d.
associationism.
empiricism.
hedonism.
all of the above
Mini Quiz
• 3. It has been suggested that chronic anxiety is
the result of
a. pairing a primary reinforcer with a punisher.
b. the law of effect.
c. repeated exposure to stimuli that are
unpredictable and random.
d. second-order conditioning and stimulus
generalization.
Mini Quiz
• 4. When the presentation of a balloon is
frequently preceded by the a loud sound,
this will likely make one
• a. salivate.
• b. flinch at the sight of a balloon.
• c. show no response to a balloon.
• d. start to enjoy loud noises.
Mini Quiz
•
•
•
•
5.
a.
b.
c.
Test 2 was ____ than test 1.
easier.
harder.
about the same.
Operant Conditioning
• Edward Thorndike
Gradually it escapes quicker
A specific response become “strengthened” by being paired
with a pleasant outcome
Law of Effect
• "Of several responses made to the same situation those
which are accompanied or closely followed by
satisfaction to the animal will, other things being equal,
be more firmly connected with the situation, so that,
when it recurs, they will be more likely to recur; those
which are accompanied or closely followed by discomfort
to the animal will, other things being equal, have their
connections to the situation weakened, so that, when it
recurs, they will be less likely to occur.
• Note: It is missing information about the internal state of
the animal
– Thorndike used hungry cats and rats!
Clark Hull
Needs
• Behavior is not just a function of the
environment but also. . .
• Properties of the organism
All animals have
certain needs
(food)
Creates drives
(drive for food)
Reducing drive (by
eating) reinforces the
behavior (eating)
Learning
• Both Hull and Thorndike felt their learning
was the same as Pavlov’s classical
conditioning
Hot and Cold Game
Skinner
B. F. Skinner
Noted differences between the types of learning.
How is classical conditioning different then either Thorndike’s or Hull’s
theories?
Operant Conditioning
• Classical = animal does
nothing to its environment.
• Operant = The animal
alters its environment.
Reinforcement Theory
• Operant Conditioning
– Used to control behavior
• Behavior
• Reward
• Behaviors that are rewarded are more
likely to be performed in the future
Reinforcement Theory
• Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement Theory
• Operant Conditioning
Skinner Box
Skinner Box
Skinner Box
Skinner Box
• Sniffy Program
Operant Conditioning
• Superstitious behavior
– Baseball players
• Shaping behavior
– Getting him to open the car door
– Skinner legend
Group Activity
• Identify one behavior in yourself that you
would like to change
• Determine a system of rewards and
punishments that you could use to change
this behavior
• Do you think this would work?
Did Skinner really raise his
daughter in a Skinner Box?
Picture from Ladies' Home Journal: "Baby in a Box.”
Question
• Why are you going to college?
• What are you dating someone?
• Why are you listening to this lecture?
• You do all of these things because of a
long history of rewards and punishments!
Classical vs. Operant Conditioning
• Classical
– “Reactions” to the world
– Emotions
– Traits: anxiousness, neuroticism, depression
• Operant
– “Actions” toward the world
– Behaviors
– Traits: Extraversion, argumentativeness, kindness
Behaviorism
• Pros
– Controlling behavior
– Focus on the observable
• Cons
– Mental life
• Motivation
• Thought
• Cognition