BEHAVIORISM

Adapted from: Cherry, K. (2019). History and key concepts of Behavioral psychology.

Retrieved from: www.verywellmind.com (04/02/2021).

Behaviorism, also known as behavioral psychology, is a theory of learning based on the idea
that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Conditioning occurs through interaction
with the environment. Behaviorists believe that our responses to environmental stimuli shape
our actions.

According to this school of thought, behavior can be studied in a systematic and observable
manner regardless of internal mental states. According to this perspective, only observable
behavior should be considered—cognitions, emotions, and moods are far too subjective.

Strict behaviorists believed that any person can potentially be trained to perform any task,
regardless of genetic background, personality traits, and internal thoughts (within the limits of
their physical capabilities). It only requires the right conditioning.

A Brief History of Behaviorism

Behaviorism was formally established with the 1913 publication of John B. Watson's classic
paper, "Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It." It is best summed up by the following quote
from Watson, who is often considered the "father" of behaviorism:

"Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up
in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist
I might select—doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief,
regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his
ancestors."

Simply put, strict behaviorists believe that all behaviors are the result of experience. Any
person, regardless of his or her background, can be trained to act in a particular manner given
the right conditioning.

From about 1920 through the mid-1950s, behaviorism grew to become the dominant school
of thought in psychology. Some suggest that the popularity of behavioral psychology grew
out of the desire to establish psychology as an objective and measurable science.

At this time, researchers were interested in creating theories that could be clearly described
and empirically measured but also used to make contributions that might have an influence
on the fabric of everyday human lives.

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Key Concepts
There are several principles that distinguish behavioral psychology from other psychological
approaches.

Two Types of Conditioning

According to behavioral psychology, there are two major types of conditioning, classical
conditioning and operant conditioning.

Classical Conditioning

Classical conditioning is a technique frequently used in behavioral training in which a

response is paired with a stimulus. Eventually, the response occurs even without the stimulus
presenting itself.

In physiologist Ivan Pavlov's classic experiments, dogs associated the presentation of food
(something that naturally and automatically triggers a salivation response) with the sound of a
bell, at first, and then the sight of a lab assistant's white coat. Eventually, the lab coat alone
elicited a salivation response from the dogs.

During the first part of the classical conditioning process, known as acquisition, a response is
established and strengthened. Factors such as the prominence of the stimuli and the timing of
presentation can play an important role in how quickly an association is formed.

When an association disappears, this is known as extinction, causing the behavior to weaken
gradually or vanish. Factors such as the strength of the original response can play a role in
how quickly extinction occurs. The longer a response has been conditioned, for example, the
longer it may take for it to become extinct.

Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning (sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning) is a method of

learning that occurs through reinforcements and punishments. Through operant conditioning,
an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior.

When a desirable result follows an action, the behavior becomes more likely to occur again in
the future. Responses followed by adverse outcomes, on the other hand, become less likely to
happen again in the future.

Behaviorist B.F. Skinner described operant conditioning as the process in which learning can
occur through reinforcement and punishment. More specifically, by forming an association
between a certain behavior and the consequences of that behavior, you learn.

For example, if a parent rewards a child with praise every time they pick up their toys, the
desired behavior is consistently reinforced. As a result, the child will become more likely to
clean up messes.

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Timing Plays a Role
Reinforcement schedules are important in operant conditioning. This process seems fairly
straight forward—simply observe a behavior and then offer a reward or punishment.

However, Skinner discovered that the timing of these rewards and punishments has an
important influence on how quickly a new behavior is acquired and the strength of the
corresponding response.

 Continuous reinforcement involves rewarding every single instance of a behavior. It

is often utilized at the beginning of the operant conditioning process. But as the
behavior is learned, the schedule might switch to one of partial reinforcement.
 Partial reinforcement involves offering a reward after a number of responses or after
a period of time has elapsed. Sometimes, partial reinforcement occurs on a consistent
or fixed schedule. In other instances, a variable and an unpredictable number of
responses or time must occur before the reinforcement is delivered.

Strengths
One of the greatest strengths of behavioral psychology is the ability to clearly observe and
measure behaviors. Behaviorism is based on observable behaviors, so it is sometimes easier
to quantify and collect data when conducting research. This approach is often very useful in
changing maladaptive or harmful behaviors in both children and adults.

Weaknesses
Many critics argue that behaviorism is a one-dimensional approach to understanding human
behavior. Critics of behaviorism suggest that behavioral theories do not account for free will
and internal influences such as moods, thoughts, and feelings.

Freud, for example, felt that behaviorism failed by not accounting for the unconscious
mind's thoughts, feelings, and desires that influence people's actions. Other thinkers, such
as Carl Rogers and the other humanistic psychologists, believed that behaviorism was too
rigid and limited, failing to take into consideration personal agency.

More recently, biological psychology has emphasized the power of the brain and genetics in
determining and influencing human actions. The cognitive approach to psychology (e.g.
Chomsky) focuses on mental processes such as thinking, decision-making, language,
creativity and problem-solving. In both cases, behaviorism neglects these processes and
influences in favor of studying just observable behaviors.

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Conclusion
While the behavioral approach might not be the dominant force that it once was, it has still
had a major impact on our understanding of human psychology. The conditioning process
alone has been used to understand many different types of behaviors, ranging from how
people learn to how language develops. The audiolingual method in language learning,
involving continuous repetition, was developed on behaviourist principles.

But perhaps the greatest contributions of behavioral psychology lie in its practical
applications. Its techniques can play a powerful role in modifying problematic behavior and
encouraging more positive, helpful responses. Outside of psychology, parents, teachers,
animal trainers, and many others make use of basic behavioral principles to help teach new
behaviors and discourage unwanted ones.