Behaviorism Theory Assignment Essay
A learning, or behavioral theory, in terms of human development, follows the view that the focus of psychology should be behavior, the way we act. A behaviorist places value on attributes that one can see and therefore study, as opposed to the invisible attributes, such as thinking, feeling, and other brain activity that occurs without one even knowing (Craig & Dunn, 2010, p. 14).Behaviorism Theory Assignment Essay There are three important modern behavior or learning theorists: Ivan Pavlov, John Watson, and B. F. Skinner. However, as stated by William Crain John Locke was the “Father of environmentalism and learning theory”, although Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner were his “heirs” (Crain, 2011 p.3). To some, the behaviorist theories may seem limiting or incomprehensive, but …show more content…
B. F. Skinner created a container referred to as a Skinner box that had a lever within reach of the animal, in this case a rat, so that as the rat was exploring the environment, the rat might grasp the lever, and either food or water would be dispensed. Because the outcome of hitting the lever was a positive one, the rat, Skinner showed, was likely to return and hit the lever more often. A key to high rates of response is to reward very quickly for the desired behavior. Skinner also recognized that a negative response, or the lack of a positive one, could stop certain behaviors as well (Crain, 2011). He further understood that some behaviors are difficult to teach some species; there are “biological constraints” to what can be taught. In a broad viewpoint, Skinner asserts that environments actually tie into the evolution of a species and dictates certain behaviors because the environment molds the survival constraints of the species (Crain, 2010 p. 196).Behaviorism Theory Assignment Essay
Behaviorism When individuals hear the term Behaviorism today, they instantly know that it signifies some form of behavior considering that it is in the word itself. Nevertheless, what exactly is behaviorism? According to the Dictionary of Psychology, behaviorism is a theory of learning that is based upon the idea that all behaviors are obtained from outside observations and not in thoughts or feelings. In the twentieth century, three significant behaviorists John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner determined that behaviorism is the study of observable behavior, as opposed to internal events such as emotions and cogitation (Moore). Although the three behaviorists encounter their theories of behaviorism differently, their ideas are similar.Behaviorism Theory Assignment Essay Behaviorism is the study of human behavior and is principally based on the belief that all human behavior is learned through conditioning of the environment. First, in the Encyclopedia of Psychology it states that many historians of psychology who were aware of Watson’s achievements, acknowledge him to be the “founder” of behaviorism. In the Encyclopedia of Psychology is also declares that behaviorism back tracks to the twentieth century when several behaviorists were interested in clarifying what behaviorism actually was. Not only was Watson admired for being the founder of behaviorism, but compared to the other two behaviorists he performed experiments on humans. Behaviorism Theory Assignment Essay