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Behaviorism
B. F. Skinner
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B.F. Skinner
(1904-1990)
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B. F. Skinner
(1904-1990)
Skinners life
Predetermined, lawful, and orderly
A product of past reinforcements
1925: Hamilton College (NY): degree in English, no
courses in psychologyRead about Pavlovs and Watsons experimental work
1931: Ph.D. from Harvard
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B. F. Skinner
Dissertation: a reflex is a correlation between
S and R
1938: The Behavior of Organisms1953: Science and Human Behavior
1990: Vigorously attacked the growth of cognitive
psychology
1990 (final article): "Can Psychology Be a Science
of Mind?"
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B. F. Skinner
Dealt only with observable behavior
The task of scientific inquiry:
To establish functional relationships betweenexperimenter-controlled stimulus and organisms
response
No presumptions about internal entities - The "emptyorganism" approach
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B. F. Skinner
Single subject designLarge numbers of subjects not necessary
Statistical comparisons of group means not
necessary
A single subject provides valid and replicable
results
Requires "sufficient" data collected under well-
controlled experimental conditionsStatistics obscure individual responses and
differences
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B. F. Skinner - Operant conditioning
Watson, Pavlov - Respondent behavior: elicited by
specific observable stimulus
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B. F. Skinner
Operant behavior: occurs without an observableexternal stimulus
Operates on the organisms environment
The behavior is instrumental in securing a stimulus
more representative of everyday learning
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B. F. Skinner
Science of behavior: Study of conditioning andextinction of operants
Dependent variable in the "Skinner box": rate of
responseLaw of acquisition
key variable: reinforcement
practice provides opportunities for
additional reinforcement
Differs from Thorndike and Hulls positions
Thorndike and Hull: explanatory
Skinner: strictly descriptive
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Skinners Theory
All we need to know in order to describe
and explain behavior is this: actionsfollowed by good outcomes are likely to
recur , and actions followed by bad
outcomes are less likely to recur.
(Skinner, 1953)
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Central Human Motive in
Skinners Theory
Environmental consequences shape
behavior
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LAW OF EFFECT
Behavior Better state Increasedof affairs probability of
behavior occurringagain
Behavior Worse state Decreased
of affairs probability ofbehavior occurringagain
Behavior A
Behavior B
Behavior C Better state Behavior CBehavior D of affairs emerges as the
Behavior E most probable
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Laboratory ExamplesOperant Conditioning
Reinforcement(food pellet)
Exploring
Scratching
Key-pecking
GroomingDefecating
Urinating
Pigeon
(in aSkinner
box)
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OPERANT CONDITIONING TECHNIQUES
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT= increasing a
behavior by administering a reward
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT= increasing a
behavior by removing an aversive stimulus when a
behavior occurs
PUNISHMENT= decreasing a behavior by
administering an aversive stimulus following abehavior OR by removing a positive stimulus
EXTINCTION= decreasing a behavior by not
rewarding it
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B. F. Skinner
Research foci
Role of punishment in response acquisition
Schedules of reinforcement
Extinction of operantsSecondary reinforcement
Generalization
Subjects included humans as well as animals
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B. F. Skinner
Schedules of reinforcement
Reinforcement is necessary in operant behavior
Reinforcement schedules
continuousfixed and variable
ratio and interval
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SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT
Interval schedules: reinforcement occurs after a certainamount of time has passed
Fixed Interval = reinforcement is presented after a fixedamount of time
Variable Interval = reinforcement is delivered on arandom/variable time schedule
Ratio schedules: reinforcement occurs after a certainnumber of responses
Fixed Ratio = reinforcement presented after a fixed # ofresponses
Variable Ratio = reinforcement delivery is variable butbased on an overall average # of responses
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LIMITED EFFECTS OF PUNISHMENT
Punishment does not teach appropriate behaviors
Must be delivered immediately & consistently
May result in negative side effects Undesirable behaviors may be learned through
modeling (aggression)
May create negative emotions (anxiety & fear)
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HOW COMPLEX BEHAVIORS
ARE LEARNED
Successive approximation/shaping = reinforcingbehaviors as they come to approximate the desiredbehavior
Superstitious Behavior = when persistent behaviors arereinforced coincidentally rather than functionally
Self-control of behavior
Stimulus avoidance Self-administered satiation
Aversive stimulation
Self-reinforcement
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B. F. Skinner
Verbal behavior
Speech
Comprised of responses
Can be reinforced by speech sounds or gestures
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B. F. Skinner
Aircribs and teaching machines
1945: aircrib
Teaching machine
invented in the 1920s by Presseypromoted by Skinner
1968: The Technology of Teaching
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B. F. Skinner
Walden Two (1948): A
behavioristic society
Program of behavioral control
A technology of behavior
Application of laboratory
findings to society at large
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B. F. Skinner
Behavior modification
Used in a variety of applied settings
Reinforce desired behavior and extinguish
undesired behaviorPunishment is not used
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B. F. Skinner
Criticisms of Skinners behaviorism
His extreme positivism
His opposition to theoryHis willingness to extrapolate beyond the data
The narrow range of behavior studied
Problem of instinctive drift
His position on verbal behavior
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B. F. Skinner
Contributions of Skinners behaviorism
Shaped American psychology for 30 years
His goal: the improvement of society
Srength and ramifications of his radical behaviorism
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Social Learning Theories: The Cognitive Challenge
The context
Skinner (1963): "Behaviorism at Fifty"
Progress in experimental psychology in U.S. due to
behaviorism
Social learning/sociobehaviorist approach fomented by
many, including some behaviorists, reflected
broader cognitive revolution in psychology
1995: consciousness has overtly and publicly returned
to psychology
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