BEHAVIOURISM

Behaviorism is primarily concerned with observable behavior as opposed to internal events like thinking and emotion because it can be scientifically measured! 

Empirical evidence is needed to understand & change human behaviour. Psychology should be seen as a science.

People have no free will – a person’s environment determines their behavior. Minds are born “blank slates”Behavior is the result of stimulus – response (i.e. all behavior, no matter how complex, can be reduced to a simple stimulus – response association)

IVAN PAVLOV

Pavlov was investigating salivation in dogs in response to being fed. He noticed that his dogs would begin to salivate whenever he entered the room … even when he was not bringing them food!Pavlov discovered that any object or event which the dogs associated with food (such as the lab assistant) would trigger the same response! He called this type of learning classical conditioning

http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/gray/content/psychsim5/Classical%20Conditioning/ClassicalConditioning.htm

Classical condition has many applications in the real world.

PAVLOV’S SIGNIFICANCE

For example, children demonstrate anxiety and fear when entering into a doctor’s office, after previously receiving an immunization.

By observing conditioned behaviours, scientists can learn how to change that behaviour by associating it with a NEW stimuli!

For example, if children received candy every time they went to the doctor’s office, they learn to associate doctor visits with receiving a reward – therefore, they might not show as much anxiety upon visiting the doctor’s office!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlrHA#t=41

Skinner believed that all behavior is created through environmental stimuli, through a process of rewards and punishments. 

B.F. SKINNER

He coined the term operant conditioning a method of learning where an association is made between a behaviour and a “consequence for that behaviour” via rewards and punishments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXDD3JN4FGQ Cat

Reinforcement is any event that strengthens or increases the behavior it follows.

Ex: a teacher gives good grades to a hard working student. This encourages the behaviour to continue. Punishment is the opposite of reinforcement. It is designed to weaken or eliminate a behaviour rather than increase it.

Ex: a teacher sends a student to the office for misbehaving in class. This discourages the behaviour from continuing.SIGNIFICANCE: Behaviourism techniques are used today in a variety of situations from treating phobias to managing inappropriate behaviours in the classroom