A presentation on:

BEHAVIORISM
A group project by members:
Aastha Sharma
Lavanya Mishra
Agam Jasvinder Singh
Navneet Mahayan
Ayush Sharma
Garima
Sonal Rathore
Anshu Ranjan
Aman Singh Chauhan
 INTRODUCTION
Behaviorism: Behaviorism is a psychological theory that emphasizes learning and
observable behaviors. It focuses on how environmental stimuli shape behavior, excluding
internal mental processes like thoughts and emotions

TOPICS and KEY FIGURES to be covered in this presentation:

Topic 1: Watsonian Behaviorism ~ by Aman Singh Chauhan (23/1399)
- Watson's Life ~ by Aman Singh Chauhan (23/1399)
- Watson's Objective Psychology ~ by Anshu Ranjan (23/1350)
- Watson's Influence ~ by Aastha Sharma (23/1401)
Topic 2: Skinnerian Behaviorism
- Skinner's Life ~ Ayush Sharma (23/1403)
- Skinner's Objective Psychology ~ Agam Jasvinder Singh (23/1397)
- Application/Behaviorism Today ~ Lavanya Mishra (23/1407)
Lars
Topic 3: Peeters Teddy Yu
Information processing psychology Chidi Eze
~ Navneet Mahayan (23/1405)
- the return of faculty psychology ~ Garima (23/1367)
- the return of mind-body problem ~ Sonal Rathore (23/1611)
 TOPIC 1 :WATSONIAN
BEHAVIORISM ~ by Aman Singh Chauhan (23/1399)

John B. Watson: Often considered the

father of behaviorism, he introduced
methodological behaviorism, which
rejects introspection and focuses solely
on observable behaviors
Key Points
Founding Behaviorism: Watson introduced behaviorism in 1913, focusing on
observable behavior rather than internal mental states.
Classical Conditioning: Inspired by Pavlov, he demonstrated that behaviors can be
conditioned through environmental stimuli, as seen in his "Little Albert" experiment.
Environmental Influence: Watson emphasized the role of nurture over nature,
suggesting that behavior is primarily shaped by environment.
Scientific Objectivity: He advocated for psychology to adopt rigorous scientific
methods, making it a more objective discipline.
Practical Applications: His work influenced child-rearing, education, and advertising
by applying behavioral principles.

Watson: Often considered the father of behaviorism, he introduced methodological

behaviorism, which rejects introspection and focuses solely on observable behaviors
Core Principles
Observable Behavior: Focus on measurable actions.
Environmental Conditioning: Behavior is shaped by environmental stimuli.
Prediction and Control: Aim to predict and control behavior through understanding
stimuli-response relationships.

Watson's work laid the groundwork for later behavioral theories and therapies.
 WATSON’S LIFE
~ by Aman Singh Chauhan (23/1399)

John B. Watson, born on January 9, 1878, in

Travelers Rest, South Carolina
His early life was marked by challenges, including a
strict religious upbringing by his mother, Emma
Watson, and the abandonment of his family by his
father, Pickens Butler Watson, when John was 13
Despite a troubled adolescence and poor academic
performance, Watson entered Furman University at
age 16 with the help of his mother's connections
 WATSON'S OBJECTIVE
PSYCHOLOGY ~ by Anshu Ranjan (23/1350)
WATSON’S PSYCHOLOGY
Watson’s Behaviourism emerged as a rejection of the dominant
introspective methods used by psychologists like Wundt, Titchener and
James. He criticised the excessive focus on ‘consciousness’.

Here are some of his concerns:

The divisions of consciousness are arbitrary

Psychology is too human centered
Introspection is unreliable and esoteric
Older psychologies are dualistic
DEFINITION OF PSYCHOLOGY:
Believed psychology should focus on predicting and controlling behavior
rather than studying consciousness and introspection
Behavior was shaped entirely by environmental conditions.

WATSON’S GOAL OF PSYCHOLOGY

Watson believed psychology should focus on predicting and controlling
behavior rather than studying consciousness or introspection. He also
believed that behavior was shaped entirely by environmental conditions.
He argued that If psychology could determine the conditions that
produce specific behaviors, it could manipulate and shape human
actions.
 METHODS USED
Watson rejected introspection and focused on scientific ideals of
quantification and standardization.
He supported Pavlov’s conditioning, psychological tests (without labeling
them “mental” tests), social experiments, and natural observation. His
key requirement was that all methods be publicly observable and
produce measurable results.

SCOPE
Watson argued that there is no fundamental difference between
human and animal behaviour. He saw psychology as part of a broader
scientific study of all life forms, linking it closely with biology and other
sciences.
SELECTED CONTENT AREA
The focus were:
• Habit
• Fear and Conditioning
• Emotions
• Instincts
• Thinking and Speech

HABIT
Central concept of Watsonian Behaviourism
Habit as the core of behaviour: personality is a system of learned
habits.
 Personality Development: So-called personality results from consistent
conditioning in healthy environment, while disturbance come from habit
conflicts
Rejection of Mental Illness: Dismissed the idea of mental illness;
disturbance stem from conditioning
Role of Conditioning: Emphasized conditioning in both the development
and treatment of personality issues.

FEAR CONDITIONING
Watson, along with Rosalie Rayner conducted one of psychology’s most
famous studies “Conditioned Emotional Response”. The experiment (The
little Albert Experiment) aimed to demonstrate how fear could be
conditioned
 FEAR DECONDITIONING
Mary Cover Jones, unlike Watson and Rayner, focused on eliminating fear.
(Peter’s fear of Rabbit)

EMOTIONS
Emotional attachments, anxiety and phobia develop through
conditioning.
Positive emotions, like love also form through pleasant association.
Infants have only three innate emotional responses (fear, rage and love)
 INSTINCTS
Initially, Watson acknowledged the existence of instincts in [Link]
categorized instincts into:
Perfect instincts.
Instincts supplemented by habit.
Random instinctive activity.

·Later, he emphasized the influence of conditioning and habit over

innate behaviors.
Eventually, Watson entirely rejected the concept of human instincts.
He firmly believed that behavior is primarily shaped by environmental
conditioning.
He adopted a strong environmentalist stance, prioritizing "nurture" over
"nature."
 THINKING AND SPEECH
Critique of Traditional Views: Watson rejected the idea that thinking is
intangible or purely mental, arguing that it can be studied scientifically.
Future of Scientific Study: He believed that with advancements in
science, more aspects of thinking would become observable and
experimentally testable
Thinking as Behavior: Thinking was seen as a learned behavioral process,
with words substituting for actions and objects in daily life.
Parallel to Motor Skills: He compared verbal habits to motor learning,
likeplaying the piano—once learned, verbal sequences can be triggered
automatically.
Physical Basis of Speech: Speech involves not just the brain but the
entire body, including muscles in the throat, tongue, hands, and chest.
 WATSON'S INFLUENCE
FOUNDING BEHAVIORISM
~ by Aastha Sharma (23/1401)

Behaviorism as a dominant school of thought in

psychology
Emphasizing the study of observable behavior over
introspection and consciousness.
His approach redefined psychology as a natural science
focused on objective, measurable phenomena.
Critique of Older Psychologists
Watson challenged the introspective methods of structuralism
and functionalism
They were unreliable, esoteric, and overly focused on human
consciousness.
Behaviorism was the only truly "functional" psychology.
Fear Conditioning
The "Little Albert" Experiment:

⁃ Watson, along with Rosalie Rayner, conducted this experiment

in 1920.
⁃ The aim was to demonstrate that emotional responses,
specifically fear, could be conditioned in humans.
⁃ The experiment provided evidence that emotional responses
could be learned through classical conditioning.
⁃ his study became a cornerstone for understanding emotional
learning and behavior therapy.
• Applied Psychology

⁃ Watson extended behaviorism into practical domains

⁃ His work in advertising, for example, applied behaviorist principles to
consumer behavior, emphasizing the role of emotions and associations in
purchasing decisions.
 TOPIC 2 :SKINNERIAN
BEHAVIOURISM

Skinnerian Behaviorism (Radical Behaviorism)

B.F. Skinner's behaviorism, often referred to as radical
behaviorism, is a distinct branch of behaviorist psychology that
focuses on the relationship between behavior and
environmental factors.
Key Principles of Skinnerian Behaviorism
Operant Conditioning: Behavior is modified by its consequences, such as
rewards or punishments. Skinner introduced the concept of
reinforcement, which can be positive (adding a pleasant stimulus) or
negative (removing an unpleasant one).
Environmental Control: Behavior is primarily influenced by external
factors rather than internal mental states. Skinner believed that even
private events like emotions are shaped by environmental interactions
Radical Behaviorism: Skinner's philosophy rejects the concept of free will,
suggesting that all behavior is the result of conditioning and
environmental factors
Scientific Methodology: Skinner used rigorous scientific methods, including
the invention of the "Skinner Box," to study behavior objectively
Applications and Influence

Education and Therapy: Operant conditioning is used in classrooms and

therapy settings to modify behavior through reward systems and
reinforcement schedules

Social Impact: Skinner's ideas have influenced fields like child development,
employee training, and social control

Skinner's work built upon earlier behaviorist theories but focused more on
voluntary behaviors and their consequences, providing a comprehensive
framework for understanding and modifying behavior.
 Skinner's Life
~ by Ayush Sharma (23/1403)
Early life and Education
Born on March 20, 1904, in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania.
Earned a BA in English literature from Hamilton College in 1926.
Received a Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University in 1931.

Career and Contribution

Taught at the University of Minnesota, Indiana University, and
Harvard University.
Focused on observable behavior and environmental influences, a
core principle of behaviorism.
Developed operant conditioning, studying how behavior is shaped
by reinforcement and punishment. for infants.
 Invented the Skinner box, a controlled environment for studying animal
behavior.
Created the teaching machine, a device for programmed learning.
Designed the air crib, a temperature-controlled, germ-free enclosure
for infants.

Publications and Influence:

The Behavior of Organisms (1938) – A foundational work on operant
conditioning.
Walden Two (1948) – A utopian novel applying behaviorist principles to
society.
Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971) – A critique of traditional notions of
free will and dignity in human behavior.
 SKINNER'S OBJECTIVE
~ by Agam Jasvinder Singh
PSYCHOLOGY (23/1397)

Introduction

Objective psychology, advocated by B.F. Skinner, emphasizes the

study of observable and measurable behaviors, excluding internal
mental states from analysis. Skinner asserted that psychology
should focus on behaviors that can be objectively measured and
analyzed, leading to a more scientific and empirical approach to
understanding human actions.
Skinner’s Positivism

Skinner’s positivism is deeply rooted in the empiricism of Francis

Bacon. Bacon argued that knowledge should be derived from
observation and experiment rather than speculation. Skinner took
this principle and applied it to his study, rejecting explanations that
relied on mentalistic or hypothetical constructs.
 Functional Analysis

Functional analysis, in the context of Skinner’s positivism, is the

method used to study behavior by breaking it down into
observable components.

ABC Model of Functional Analysis

1. Antecedent – The stimulus or event that occurs before the behavior. This sets
the occasion for a response.
2. Behavior – The actual response or action performed by the subject.
3. Consequence – The result of the behavior, which influences whether the
behavior will occur again.
POSITIVE CONTROL OF BEHAVIOR

B.F. Skinner studied how behaviors are learned and changed. He found that
reinforcement and punishment do not work in the same way.
Reinforcement strengthens behavior
Punishment does not necessarily weaken behavior

Negative Effects of Punishment-

Fear – The person may become afraid rather than learning a better
way to behave.
Aggression – Punished individuals may become more aggressive. For
example, a child who is hit may start hitting others.
Justifies inflicting pain – When people see punishment being used, they
may believe it is acceptable to hurt others.
Substitutes one bad behavior for another – Instead of stopping a bad
behavior, punishment may simply replace it with a different problem.
Better Than Punishment? Instead of punishing bad behavior, Skinner suggested
ignoring it and using positive reinforcement to encourage good behavior.
Extinction (Ignoring bad behavior): If a behavior continues only because
it gets attention, removing that attention will cause it to fade over
time.
Reinforcement (Rewarding good behavior): Rewarding the right
behavior increases the chances of it being repeated.

SKINNER’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THEORY

B.F. Skinner’s approach to behaviorism was unique because it rejected
theoretical explanations of behavior, unlike the approaches of Edward
Tolman and Clark Hull. Skinner focused only on observable behavior and
environmental influences; a method known as “descriptive behaviorism.”
No Need for Internal Explanations (“Empty-Organism” Approach)
Opposition to Theoretical Model
Focus on Functional Analysis
APPLICATIONS OF SKINNERIAN PRINCIPLES ~ by Lavanya Mishra (23/1407)
B.F. Skinner applied behavioral principles to real-world problems. His core
idea was simple: change reinforcement contingencies, and you change
behavior
Behavioral Training in Animals: Skinner's methods were used to teach
pigeons to play games like table tennis and even guide missiles in
military projects. His principles have been widely used in animal training
for entertainment.
Education: Skinner criticized traditional teaching methods, arguing they
relied too much on punishment rather than reinforcement.
▪ Learn in small steps
▪ Get immediate feedback
▪ Move at their own pace

Behavior Modification Therapy:

Token Economies:
 Behavior Modification Therapy: Skinner believed that both normal and abnormal
behaviors are learned through reinforcement. His behavior modification
techniques helped people with: ▪ Addictions (smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse)
▪ Mental health issues (phobias, shyness, juvenile delinquency) ▪ Speech
disorders and obesity

Token Economies: -

- Used in psychiatric hospitals and institutions, token economies reward positive

behavior with tokens (exchangeable for items like snacks or privileges).

-Critics call it unnatural, but Skinner’s supporters argue that society itself works as
a token economy (we work for money to buy necessities).
 ~ by Lavanya Mishra (23/1407)
BEHAVIORISM TODAY
Neo behaviorism, developed by psychologists like Tolman, Hull, and Skinner,
significantly shaped modern psychology. However, its influence has declined with
the rise of cognitive psychology. Skinner remains highly influential. He corrected
misconceptions about behaviorism, acknowledged genetic influences, and believed
mental processes are simply verbal labels for bodily processes. His ideas led to the
creation of APA’s Division 25 and two behaviorist journals. In a survey, Skinner was
ranked as the most eminent psychologist of the 20th century.
Decline of Behaviorism:
The rise of cognitive psychology has overshadowed behaviorism, except for
Tolman’s ideas.
Evolutionary psychology now provides evidence that genetics play a crucial
role in behavior, contradicting behaviorists’ emphasis on environmental
conditioning.
The strict requirement of operational definitions (defining concepts only in
measurable terms) became too restrictive and was later abandoned.
Criticism of Behaviorism:

It ignored important mental processes like thoughts, emotions, and

consciousness.
It focused only on observable stimuli and responses, rejecting intuitive
concepts without properly testing them.
Even within science, biases and emotions influence research—something
behaviorists overlooked.

Despite its decline, behaviorism still shapes psychology. Even cognitive

psychologists use behavior as a way to study mental processes. In that sense,
modern psychology still carries a behaviorist foundation.
 TOPIC 3 : INFORMATION
PROCESSING PSYCHOLOGY ~ by Navneet Mahayan (23/1405)

Information-processing psychology emerged significantly due to external

influences, particularly from computer science. The field gained momentum
with the work of Allen Newell, J. C. Shaw, and Herbert Simon, who proposed
that computers solve problems similarly to humans. This perspective
equates the human mind and computer programs as general problem-
solving entities, marking a shift in cognitive psychology by adopting
computer-related terminology and concepts.
 HUMANS VS. COMPUTERS
Similarities
Both receive input
Process input
Have memory
Produce output

TERMINOLOGY
Input replaces stimulus
Output replaces response/behavior
Storage, encoding, retrieval

The information-processing approach views humans as active seekers and

users of information, focusing on normal, rational thinking and behavior.
 INFLUENCE OF ANALOGIES

The analogy between the human mind and computers influences research
questions, theory construction, and terminology. Viewing humans as
computers, rather than laboratory animals, affects how scientists
approach the study of cognition. The choice of terms like "output" versus
"response" implies different beliefs about the origin and explanation of
behavior.
Calling a behavior a response implies something very different from calling
it an output. It implies different beliefs about the behavior’s origin, its
history, and its explanation.
RATIONALISM AND NATIVISM
Information-processing aligns with the rationalistic tradition and includes a
strong nativistic component. It emphasizes innate capacities in combination
with learning to explain cognitive performance. This perspective suggests
that some aspects of cognition, particularly in language, have evolved
primarily or exclusively in humans, giving innate capacities more significance
than behaviorists did.

SIMILARITIES WITH GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY AND

KANT'S PHILOSOPHY
GESTALT KANT
THE HUMAN MIND HAS PARTS THAT MAN’S COGNITIVE SYSTEM IS
INTERRELATE AS A NATURAL CONSTANTLY ACTIVE; IT ADDS TO
SYSTEM. ITS ENVIRONMENTAL INPUT AND
LITERALLY CONSTRUCTS ITS
REALITY.
 KANT AS A FOREFATHER

Immanuel Kant is considered a founding figure of information-processing

psychology. Kant postulated categories of thought that act on sensory
information, providing structure and meaning. This concept aligns with the
information-processing view of the mind as actively processing
information, creating a connection between Kant's philosophy, Piaget’s
theory, Gestalt psychology, and information-processing psychology.
 THE RETURN OF FACULTY
~ by Garima (23/1367)
PSYCHOLOGY
Phrenology: It is a process that involves observing and/or feeling the skull
to determine an individual's psychological attributes.
By faculty Psychology, I mean, roughly the view that many
fundamentally different types of psychological mechanisms must be
postulated in order to explain the facts of mental life.
Largely because of its relationship with phrenology, faculty psychology
came into disfavor among scientists and was essentially discarded by
them along with phrenology.
Information processing makes a return to faculty psychology. The
discovery that brain is organised into many modules (groups of cells),
each associated with some specific function also marks a return to
faculty psychology.
In 1983, Jerry Fodor notes that faculty psychology was getting it's
respect again after centuries of hanging around with phrenologists.
Since, according to faculty psychologists, the mental causation of
behavior typically involves the simultaneous activity of a variety of
distinct psychological mechanisms.
In his influential book 'How the mind works' Steven Pinker also embraces
faculty psychology: 'The mind, I claim, is not a single organ but a system
of organs, which we can think of as psychological faculties or mental
modules.'
 THE RETURN OF MIND-BODY
PROBLEM ~ by Sonal Rathore (23/1611)

[Link]

The rise of cognitive psychology has revived the mind-body problem in

psychology.
Radical behaviorists "solved" the issue by denying the existence of the
mind.
They believed mental events were merely physiological experiences
labeled cognitively.
 [Link] PSYCHOLOGY AND
THE MIND-BODY RELATIONSHIP

Cognitive psychology assumes the existence of cognitive events

These events are sometimes viewed as :

Epiphenomenalism: Cognitive events are by-products of brain activity.

Mechanism: Cognitive processes are automatic and passive.
Interactionism: Cognitive events actively influence behavior.
 3. THE MIND-BRAIN DEBATE
Changing terminology (mind-body to mind-brain) does not resolve the
issue.
The challenge remains: how does a material entity (brain) create mental
experiences (ideas, thinking)?

4. THE RISE OF COGNITIVE SCIENCE

An interdisciplinary field called Cognitive science emerged in the 1970s
In 2005,Paul Thagard describes cognitive science and its current
status as:
It Studies mind and intelligence through multiple disciplines: psychology,
Artificial Intelligence,neuroscience, linguistics, anthropology, and philosophy.
It was Originated in the 1950s through theories of complex mental
representations and computational models.
5. WHY AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH?
Understanding the mind is one of the most complex human challenges
and requires Multiple disciplines to contribute in solving this puzzle
(Thagard, 2005).
Thagard reviews the considerable success of cognitive science but also
notes some of its shortcomings such as:
it Lacks a unified theory of psychology (like evolution in biology or
relativity in physics).

understanding of Consciousness remains a mystery with no consensus.

Computer-based cognitive models fail to account for emotions, which
guide human problem-solving and learning.
 6. THE SHIFT AWAY FROM INFORMATION-
PROCESSING PSYCHOLOGY
Partially because of the more comprehensive approach of cognitive
science,there was a growing realisation that information processing psychology
and the AI from which it developed has become sterile
Even Ulric Neisser, whose 1967 book Cognitive Psychology did so much to
promote information processing psychology, grew disenchanted with it.
In his book published later in 1976 named Cognition and Reality he argued that
information processing psychology should be replaced by ecological psychology
He stated that:
Ecological psychology Moves beyond artificial lab experiments and studies
cognition naturally in real life situations
ecological psychology Examines memory, including flashbulb memories (e.g., JFK
assassination), mnemonics, and eyewitness accuracy.
7. THE CONTINUED ROLE OF AI IN COGNITIVE
SCIENCE
Despite Neisser’s shift, AI remained significant in cognitive studies.
The emergence of new connectionism revived interest in AI-driven cognitive
models.
Instead of traditional computer models, these use the brain as a model for
cognition.

8. CONCLUSION
The mind-body problem remains central to psychology and cognitive science.
Cognitive psychology, cognitive science, and AI continue to shape our
understanding of human cognition.
THANK YOU