Behaviorism: Ideas of John WatsonWatson’s Program for PsychologyThe Methods of BehaviorismVerbal Report?Conditioning MethodsA Change in Lab ClimateThe Subject Matter of BehaviorismStimuliTwo Types of ResponsesWatson’s Three Major TopicsInstinctsSlide 12EmotionsSlide 14Little AlbertSlide 16Slide 17Slide 18Slide 19Mary Cover JonesThought ProcessesReactions from PsychologySlide 23Behaviorism’s Popular AppealSlide 25Slide 26An Outbreak of PsychologySlide 28Criticisms of Watson’s BehaviorismKarl Lashley (1890-1958)Karl LashleyWilliam McDougallThe Watson-McDougall DebateSlide 34Slide 35Watson’s Contributions to PsychologyDiscussion QuestionsSlide 38Slide 39Slide 40Slide 41Slide 42Slide 43Slide 44Slide 45WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18TH 2015BEHAVIORISM: IDEAS OF JOHN WATSONWATSON’S PROGRAM FOR PSYCHOLOGY•Wanted psychology to be the science of behavior, not the introspective study of consciousness•Wanted purely objective, experimental methods, using only objective terminology and human and animal subjects•The goal of psychology: the prediction and control of behavior•He opposed the structuralist and functionalist approaches•Thought that applied psychology could still be considered scientific because it seeks general laws for the prediction and control of behaviorTHE METHODS OF BEHAVIORISM•The data of psychology could only be that which is observable•Appropriate methods:–Observation (with or without instruments)–Testing methods–The verbal report method–The conditioned reflex method•Results were interpreted in a way that ignored mental implicationsVERBAL REPORT?•I know right? •Many psychologists said this was basically introspection coming in the back door•He admitted that speech reactions, because of their observable nature, could be just as meaningful as any other motor response, though at times imprecise–“Speaking overtly or to ourselves (thinking) is just as objective a type of behavior as baseball” (Watson, 1930, p. 6)CONDITIONING METHODS•Watson popularized conditioning methods in American psychology–He credited Behkterev and Pavlov as inspiration–Called it “stimulus substitution” •Loved conditioning because you could study humans and animals on a level playing field•Liked its objective nature and that it boiled behavior down to units of stimulus and response (very mechanistic and reductionist)–Because these could combine into more complex behaviors, Watson could draw conclusions about complex behaviors from his research on elementsA CHANGE IN LAB CLIMATE•Since introspection was no longer in vogue for behaviorism, the subject actually became really unimportant•They didn’t have to introspect themselves, they just had to show up while the experimenters did the observing•Many people see psychology as belittling people and treating them all the same as a result of this kind of mechanistic viewTHE SUBJECT MATTER OF BEHAVIORISM•Stimulus and response!•So structuralist!•Ultimately though, they ultimately had to try to understand an organism’s total behavior•So functionalist!STIMULI•Could be simple or complex, and the complex could be reduced to their simple components•These, in combination with the different kinds of responses, could explain behavior as it relates to its environmentTWO TYPES OF RESPONSES•Simple responses•Explicit – overt and directly observable•Implicit – occur inside the organism (still considered behavior even though they can’t be seen with the naked eye)•This modifies the observable nature of behaviorism – still objective, though•Watson called complex responses/behaviors “acts”–Acts serve to accomplish some goal that affects one’s environment–These could be reduced to their parts (simple responses)WATSON’S THREE MAJOR TOPICS•Instincts•Emotions•ThoughtsINSTINCTS•Initially studied the role of instincts in behavior but later decided that behaviors that seem instinctive are actually socially conditioned responses•Denied instincts and the presence of anything innate (capacities, temperaments, talents, etc.)•Concluded that behaviors that seemed inherited could be found to be reinforced in childhood – any child could become anything in the right environmentINSTINCTS•Minimizing the role of instincts was actually kind of a popular movement in psychology at the time, so it was pretty well accepted•Reflects the Zeitgeist of the time•This was also consistent with his study of behavioral control – his work would be pointless if he thought there were uncontrollable aspects•Parents would really like this emphasis on nurture rather than nature!EMOTIONS•Watson thought emotions were merely physiological responses to specific stimuli – no conscious perception of emotion or sensation•Implicit responses were at play here, relying on a particular pattern of physiological changes for each emotionEMOTIONS•Disagreed with William James’ (James-Lange) theory of emotion•James thought the sensation and perception of the physiological changes is what produced emotion•Watson thought that emotion simply was the physiological changeLITTLE ALBERT•Was chosen for Watson’s experiments because he seemed emotionally stable and not easily frightened•Had been shown a number of stimuli over the course of two months in Watson’s lab (a white rat, a dog, a monkey, etc.), and he never showed fearLITTLE ALBERT•Reacted fearfully to the clang of a hammer striking a steel rod (an unconditioned emotional response)•With this, Watson wanted to create a conditioned emotional response to an associated stimulus•So he paired the terrible sound with the sign of a white rat•It only took seven pairings for Little Albert to fear the rat alone, in addition to other white or furry things•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt0ucxOrPQELITTLE ALBERT•Watson concluded that fears were conditioned emotional responses that were established during childhood•It was shortly after this experiment that Watson was fired, so little follow-up on Little Albert was ever possibleLITTLE ALBERT•From Little Albert, he learned about three fundamental response patterns in infants: fear, rage, and love•Loud noises fear crying•Bodily restriction rage screaming•Petting love …love response?•Other emotions are complex and built of these through conditioningLITTLE ALBERT•The Little Albert experiment demonstrated the conditioning of these emotional responses•Watson
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