...Anthony Alcala University of Phoenix October 27, 2011 Perspectives Paper Throughout the history of psychology there has been many figures and different ideas that have made an impact on our world today. Among the many figures in psychology are John B. Watson, B.F. Skinner and Edward C. Tolman. In this essay we will compare and contrast the perspectives of each figure and how each of their ideas relate to the field of modern day psychology. John B. Watson grew up in Travelers Rest, South Carolina and attended Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. (Grandiosity.org) Known as the father of behaviorism. Watson believed that psychology should be the science of observable behavior. (2001 About.com) Watson created his theory based on the works of two (2) Russian psychologist Pavlov and Bekhterev. Watsons theory of behaviorism states that behavior is observable and can be correlated with other observable events (2009 Sunny Cooper) The goal of behaviorisms is to explain relationships between stimuli, behavior and consequences. B.F. Skinner was born March 20, 1904 in Susquehanna, PA and was known as a radical behaviorist. He developed the theory of operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is the idea that behavior is determined by its consequences, good or bad, which makes it more or less likely for the behavior to happen again (2001 Soylent communications) B.F. Skinner believed that the only scientific approach to psychology was that of studied behaviors. ...
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...Individual Perspectives Jeff R. Reed PSY/310 April 08, 2013 Carl Grossen The field of modern psychology would be a very different place if not for the behaviorist John Watson, the Radical Behaviorist B.F. Skinner and the Cognitive Behaviorist Edward Tolman. Each of these men created theories that involved the field of behaviorism and each man has shaped the way we see and understand our fellow man. Each of these men created theories that are still used as founding principles in their respective fields of psychology. The Birth of Behaviorism and John B. Watson The school of thought known now as behaviorism would not exist today without the birth of John Watson in 1878. John Watson was a highly intelligent man able to attend college at only sixteen years old. John Watson graduated with masters before his twenty second birthday. After graduating at only twenty one years old John Watson became a school principal. His career as a school principle was short lived; John Watson left his job to attend the University of Chicago. John Watson studied philosophy under John Dewey. Finding he was unsatisfied with John Dewy’s teaching John Watson chose two different professors, first the functionalist psychologist James Rowland Angell and second the physiologist Henry Donaldson. Using what he was able to learn from Angell and Donaldson, John Watson started to form his own ideas and theories about human behavior. John Watson’s teachings and theory’s would come to be known as "behaviorism"...
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...2014 Understanding Burrhus Frederic Skinner B. F. Skinner was one of the most influential of American psychologists. A radical behaviorist, he developed the theory of operant conditioning, the idea that behavior is determined by its consequences, be they reinforcements or punishments, which make it more or unlikely that the behavior will be repeated again, (NNDB, 2014). His principles are still incorporated within treatments of phobias, addictive behaviors, and in the enhancement of classroom performance as well as in computer-based self-instruction, (NNDB, 2014). Skinner believed that the only scientific approach to psychology was one that studied behaviors, not internal (subjective) mental processes, (NNDB, 2014). He denied the existence of a mind as a thing separate from the body, but he did not deny the existence of thoughts, which he regarded simply as private behaviors to be analyzed according to the same principle as publicly observed behaviors, (NNDB, 2014). According to Michael (2013) Burrhus Frederic Skinner is very famous for developing his own philosophical studies around animal and human behavior. Once I had realized that this Theorist had caught my attention, I really became very excited about this research project so I started finding information about the man called B.F. Skinner, (NNDB, 2014). I am not sure if you’ve heard of him before but he is one of the most famous psychologists in the history of all times, in addition to, his particular...
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...B.F. Skinner is known as one of the most influential psychologist in history. He developed the theory of operant conditioning, which is the idea that behavior is determined by its consequences, be they reinforcements or punishments, which make it more or less likely that the behavior will occur again. Skinner believed that the only scientific approach to psychology was the one that studied behaviors rather than studied internal mental processes. He wrote 5 books: The Behaviour of Organisms (1938), Walden Two (1948), Science and Human Behavior (1953), Verbal Behavior (1957), Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971). B.F. Skinner was born March 20, 1904 in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. His father was a lawyer. His mother was a stay at home mom while she watched over him and his brother. At an early age, Skinner showed interest in building things. He mostly liked building contraptions such as a cart with steering that went backwards, this happened by mistake of course. He also built a cabin in the woods with his friend as a young boy. He had a door to door business selling elderberries. He invented a flotation system to separate the ripe and green berries so that they would not be mixed up. During high school, he worked in a shoe store where he invented a contraption...
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...Perspective Paper María D. Rodríguez University of Phoenix December 14th, 2009 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY: I certify that the attached paper is my original work. I affirm that I have not submitted any portion of this paper to any previous course, and neither has anyone else. I confirm that I have cited all sources from which I used language, ideas, and information, whether quoted verbatim or paraphrased. Any assistance I received while producing this paper has been acknowledged in the References section. I have obtained written permission from the copyright holder for any trademarked material, logos, images from the Internet, or other sources. I further agree that my name typed on the line below is intended to have, and shall have, the same validity as my handwritten signature. Student's signature (name typed here is equivalent to a signature): Maria D. Rodriguez __________ Perspective Paper Human beings by nature are inquisitive. Knowing where one comes from and what aspects separates one from other individuals has been in our nature since humans discovered having five toes on each foot. The approach of psychology basing the study on the fact that behavior can be researched without consideration of the inner state of the mind is known as behaviorism. Behaviorism is said to be both a philosophy as well as a psychological movement. Radical behaviorism Early in the 20th century, behaviorism initiated with the work of John B. Watson...
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...Perspectives Paper December 17, 2012 Behavioral psychology, also known as behaviorism, is a perspective that became dominant during the early half of the 20th century thanks to prominent thinkers such as B.F. Skinner, and John B. Watson. The basis of behavioral psychology suggests that all behaviors are learned. Conditioning is the process of learning to react to the environment. Many theorists contributed to the theories of classical and operant conditioning, some theorists being Skinner, Watson, and Tolman. Each theorist contributed their own theories proven to impact a part of psychology. Many behaviors have been previously conditioned in the human species by the environment. Skinner, Watson, and Tolman all made their contributions to psychology with theories and proven statistics. John B. Watson John Watson proposed the idea of an objective psychology of behavior called "behaviorism." He saw psychology as the study of people's actions with the ability to predict and control those actions. His idea became known as “the behaviorists” theory (Goodwin. 2008). Theorists such as Skinner, Watson, and Tolman all had one common idea; that psychology was defined as the natural science of behavior, objective in its study, and was a pattern of adjustment functionally dependent upon stimulus conditions in the environment, and was emphasized in theory and research. Watson also used animal subjects...
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...Chris McMahon Gina Craft Psych310 Week 4 John Watson, B.F. Skinner, and Edward Tolman, all had theories that remain the foundation for many schools of thought in psychology today. This paper will compare and contrast these theories. John Watson began forming his own theories about behavior, eventually known as "behaviorism". John B. Watson was soon to become known as the founder of the school of behaviorism in psychology. Watson's theory was considered classical behaviorism otherwise known as classical conditioning. Watson's view on behavior was that it was purely elicited. He believed that people did not experience emotions, that they were a response to some other stimuli. Watson's goal for classical behaviorism was to create a more objective science. John Watson was an innovator as well as the father of the school of behaviorism. His work in classical conditioning continues on today in both psychology and in the zoological society. B.F. Skinner, born in 1904, was a student of Harvard. After attaining his Ph.D. in psychology in 1931, Skinner went on to create his own school of thought known as Radical Behaviorism. Skinner's theory suggests that behaviors are a result of the environment, that the behavior exhibited causes effects, whether positive or negative, that determines the probability of the behavior being reproduced. His theory also paid heavy attention to the schedule of reinforcement. The reinforcement schedule suggests that the more that the behavior...
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...B. F. Skinner Burrhus Frederic (B. F.) Skinner (March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990) was an American psychologist, behaviorist, author, inventor, and social philosopher.[1][2][3][4] He was the Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from 1958 until his retirement in 1974.[5] Skinner believed that human free will is an illusion and that any human action is the result of the consequences of the same action. If the consequences are bad, there is a high chance that the action will not be repeated; however if the consequences are good, the actions that led to it will become more probable.[6] Skinner called this the principle of reinforcement.[7] The use of reinforcement to strengthen behavior he called operant conditioning. As his main tool for studying operant conditioning Skinner The Skinners’ grave at Mount Auburn Cemetery invented the operant conditioning chamber, also known as the Skinner Box.[8] Skinner developed his own philosophy of science called radical behaviorism,[9] and founded a school of experimental research psychology—the experimental analysis of behavior. His analysis of human behavior culminated in his work Verbal Behavior, as well as his philosophical manifesto Walden Two, both of which still stimulate considerable experimental research and clinical application.[10] Contemporary academia considers Skinner a pioneer of modern behaviorism along with John B. Watson and Ivan Pavlov. Skinner emphasized rate of response as a dependent variable in psychological...
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...Behaviorism and Its Effect on the Understanding of Learning AIU Online Abstract This paper focuses on a brief summary on the history of behaviorism, starting with experiments conducted by Franklin Henry Giddings and Ivan Pavlov, a sociologist and a physiologist whom established the groundwork for behaviorism, particularly in America. In addition, this paper also explains the main components of behaviorism, which are classical conditioning and operant conditioning, connectionism, and the contiguity theory. It moves forward to explain four experiments that are popular through the study of behaviorism: the reason behind conditioned salivation in Ivan Pavlov’s dogs, conditioned responses in humans through Watson’s little Albert experiment, Thorndike’s research with cats and a puzzle box to demonstrate the law of effect through the use of reinforcements, and B.F. Skinner’s experiment with rats to prove how an organism learns through operant conditioning. Finally, this paper examines how, according to behaviorists, there are three principles of learning new and intricate behaviors, known as shaping, chaining, and fading. Behaviorism and Its Effect on the Understanding of Learning Behaviorism suggests that an organism learns from its environment. It is the result of the association between a stimulus and a response. An organism learns new behavior through classical or operant conditioning. It is a theory that does not base its ideals on emotions or prior knowledge. Some say behaviorism...
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...Perspectives Cathy Lint PSY/310 February 6, 2012 Katrina Ramos John B. Watson (1878-1958) John B. Watson was born in 1878 just outside Greenville, South Carolina, in what would be known today as a dysfunctional family because of the alcoholism, fighting, and extra-martial affairs. Watson had many behavioral problems due to his upbringing that caused Watson to have contact with the law at an early age. Watson went on to Furman University and graduated at the young age of 16 in 1900 with a master's degree. Watson was influenced by one of his professors at Furman when Watson decided to enter the University of Chicago where Watson was to study philosophy and psychology. Watson studied comparative psychology Comparative psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the study of animal behavior (Call, 2010). Watson felt more comfortable studying animals than he did humans and began his study in cortical development while using white rats. Although many other physiologists did not believe rats were capable of "associative learning" due to a rats brain development Watson thought otherwise. During Watson's experiments with the white rats could show that minimal learning was achieved during, the first week and that during the fourth week the white rats could form associations in the rats cortical development (Goodwin, 2008). Watson was able to have this study published that led to Watson's doctorate and his stay at the University of Chicago. During Watson's time at the...
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...Psychology Paper One of the most influential, yet controversial psychologists in the 20th Century was B.F. Skinner. Skinner was born on March 20, 1904 in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. As a young boy, he spent his time inventing. A well-known invention from his childhood was used for a door to door business selling elderberries; he built a flotation system which could separate ripe from green berries. His inventions continued on to his high school years when he made a contraption used to spread “green dust” that helped the broom to pick up dirt. Skinner went on to further his education at Hamilton College. There, Skinner decided he would pursue a career in writing. After college, he lacked inspiration for writing and his only works consisted of a few newspaper articles. Instead of writing, he worked as a bookstore clerk where he became enthralled when reading about Pavlov and Watson. Skinner then enrolled in the Psychology Department of Harvard University. Thus began Skinner’s journey into the world of Psychology. While in college, Skinner experimented and uncovered new findings that Pavlov and Watson had missed. Skinner designed an operant chamber, known as a Skinner box. The box has a bar that an animal presses to release a reward of food or water. Inside the box is a device that records these responses. Skinner used the process of shaping during his experiments. Shaping is a procedure in which rewards, such as food, gradually guide the subject’s action towards a certain behavior...
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...Comparison of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs With Skinner’s Behaviorist Theory |Issue |Maslow |Skinner | |Define Motivation |Motivation arises from the desire to satisfy the |Motivation stems from the way behavior is rewarded- | | |basic needs, defined by Maslow as a hierarchy, moving|good behavior rewarded, bad behavior reprimanded | | |from physiological to self-actualization. | | |How Motivation Changes |Moves from basic to more advanced, from emotional |Work from simple to complex steps; | |For Elementary Versus |needs to more intellectual needs, the ability to |performance/feedback motivation and actualization | |Secondary Students |capture concepts that are more detailed, less static,|changes; amount of reward changes; kind and quality | | |and to analyze problems that have open-ended answers |of reward changes | |Similarities |Set of needs must be met, and to move to next level |Behavior affected by consequences; theory of operant | |/Differences |reward occurs; melding of layers of needs; primary |conditioning always manipulation of | | |human focus is establishing inner needs...
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...Compare and Contrast Perspectives Kelly A Rodriguez Psy/310 3/10/2014 Katrina Ramos Compare and Contrast Perspectives As the evolution of psychology has evolved so has the perspective of the different fields of psychology. Each thought, each view point has been reevaluated and new theories added but the values and core foundation and thoughts of the past are still held strong. Behaviorist such as John Watson, B.F Skinner, and Edward Tolman were some of the most historic men in the field of psychology; although they may be a thing of the past they set a foundation for future psychologists and the schools of thought. John Watson’s Perspective John Watson a young scholar was born in 1878, at the age of 16 Watson began his college education and graduated with his masters at 21. (Cherry, 2014). After working for a year as a school principal he decided to go back to school to study philosophy at the University of Chicago where he met two men a psychologist by the name of Henry Donaldson and a functionalist psychologist by the name of James Rowland Angell. (Cherry, 2014). Watson respected and admired the theories of these men, taking what he learned from them he came up with his own thoughts and theories which drove him to the theory of behaviorism; this theory is what began Watson’s career where he founded the psychology school of behaviorism. (Cherry, 2014). Watson’s behaviorism is the “learning perspective” of all organisms that deal with the act of feeling, thinking...
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...Associationistic Theories of Watson and Skinner History credits John B. Watson as the founder of behaviorism. His disliking of the structuralism and functionalism approaches led Watson to consider psychology a science of behavior. Rather than focusing on methods like introspection, Watson strongly suggests that psychological research involve examinations of the measurable and observable behaviors. In his classic study of Little Albert, Watson demonstrates how learning of fear can occur through the principle of classical conditioning. Watson and other behaviorists like B.F. Skinner also emphasize that environmental factors affect and determine behavior. Skinner took the study of behaviorism to the next level by proposing concepts like mind, consciousness, and feelings were neither measureable or observable and were, therefore, not necessary in explaining behavior. Skinner claims that one can explain behavior by analyzing the conditions present before a behavior occurs and by analyzing the consequences that follow the behavior. The principles associated with Skinner’s operant conditioning suggest personality as a function of environmental influences rather than unconscious thoughts and feelings. However, this belief faces criticism for paying little attention to emotions and internal processes. By examining the theories of Watson and Skinner, one can better understand by classical and operant conditioning by explaining their major themes and evaluating their effectiveness...
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...Behaviorism originated with the work of John B. Watson, an American psychologist. Watson held the view that psychology should only concern itself with the study of behavior, and he was not concerned with the mind or with human consciousness. This paper will discuss the history behind behaviorism, the components of the theory, and how behaviorism develops new behavior. Behaviorism is conducted by stimuli and it decides to select one response instead of another due to the conditioning. It assume that the learner is passive and starts off with a clean slate. The behavior then goes threw and positive and negative reinforcement. Behaviorists study stimulus events that cause behavior to occur, stop occurring, or change in some way as a function of antecedents or consequences to behavior. Behavioral scientists recognize, however, that environmental events that affect behavior as antecedents or consequences often vary from person to person. John B. Watson and B.F Skinner originated the behaviorist approaches to learning. Watson thought that human behavior resulted from specific stimuli and certain responses. His view of learning was based upon the studies of Ivan Pavlov (1849- 1936). Skinner developed the term operant conditioning he believed in satisfying the responses are conditioned while unsatisfying ones are not. The...
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