P P T B Y: H E AV E N K E I A N D A L I R E
Edward C. Tolman’s
Purposive
Behaviorism
GROUP 1 PAT R I C K D A L E L A N G U I S A N U M A N G AY
About
Edward Chace Tolman
Edward Chace Tolman was an American
psychologist and a professor of psychology at the
University of California, Berkeley. Through
Tolman's theories and works, he founded what is
now a branch of psychology known as purposive
behaviorism.
Born: April 14, 1886
Died: November 19, 1959,
Tolman's purposive behaviorism RS
• Purposive behaviorism has also been referred to as sign learning theory and is often seen
as the link between behaviorism and cognitive theory.
• Tolman's theory founded on two psychological views those of the Gestalt theory and
those of John Watson, the behavior theory.
• Tolman's believe that animal were acquiring knowledge about their surroundings he
called cognition.
• Tolman's theory of learning is known by several names such as sign significance theory,
expectancy theory, purposive behaviorism or simple sign theory
Key Themes of Tolman Theory RS
• Learning is purposive and goal directed.
• Organisms will select the shortest or easiest path to achieve a goal.
• Behavior is not mechanical. Behavior as a complete purposeful exercise.
• Behavior can be modified by experience and training.
• Reinforcement is not essential for learning.
• Cognitive interpretation by the individual.
Tolman's Key Concepts
Goal directedness
Cognitive maps
Latent learning
Intervening variables
Reward Expectancy
Place Learning Versus Response Learning
Goal Directedness
Tolman asserted that learning is always purposive and goal
directed .He held the notion that an organism acted or responded for
some adoptive purpose.
He believes individual do more than merely respond to stimuli they act
on beliefs, attitudes, changing conditions, and they strive toward goals.
Examples of Goal Directedness
Deciding where to take your Summer holiday.
Choosing to come to this lecture.
Choosing what to have for your lunch at the canteen.
Gear shift together with pedal control (learning to drive)
Cognitive Maps
This is tendency to 'learn location'. In this famous experiment( rats
mazes).
He found out that organisms will select the shortest or easiest path to
achieve a goal.
This signified that somehow, rats formed cognitive maps that help them
perform well on the maze.
Latent Learning
Latent literally means hidden, and latent learning
is learning that becomes obvious only once a reinforcement is given for
demonstrating it.
Latent learning is a kind of learning that remains or stays with individual until
needed. It is learning that is not outwardly manifested at once.
According to Tolman's it can exist even without reinforcement. He demonstrated
this in his rat experiment wherein rats apparently 'Learned the maze' by forming
cognitive maps of the maze, but manifested this knowledge of the maze when
they needed to.
Intervening Variables
Intervening variables are variables that are not readily seen but serve
as determinants of behavior.
Tolman's believe that learning is mediated or is influenced by
expectation, perceptions, representations, needs and other internal or
environmental variables.
Example in his experiments with rats he found out that hunger was
and intervening variable.
Intervening Variables Examples
Motivation, attitude, knowledge, understanding,
personality, traits,
thinking, expectation, intelligence, intention.
PLACE LEARNING VERSUS RESPONSE LEARNING
Individual does not learn specific responses to specific
stimuli as mentioned by S-R theorist but tries to learn
about the places, where things actually lie.
We learn about the overall path by visualizing a total
picture of the environment.
As per the need of the environment we change our
movements.
REWARD EXPECTANCY
We learn to expect or gain something as a result of our
efforts.
We expect a reward as a result of our performance.
Not getting or getting less than expected reward may lead to
disrupted of behavior involving frustration.
The organism has a selective preference for the "principle of
least effort", for arriving at the goal.
We select the shortest possible route to achieve the goal.
Reward Expectancy
Tolman's Experiment
Vicarious Trial and Error
Cognitive interpretation by the individual.
In Tolman's Experiment: Rats used to stop at
the choice point and look at the alternative
paths.
Tolman's Experiment
Tolman's maze Experiment
Tolman's selected three groups of rats:
Group 'a' (reward groups).
Group 'b' (delayed reward group).
Group 'c' (no reward groups).
They were kept into the maze one by one for 17 days.
The food was placed at the exit door for group 'a' rats regularly.
For group 'b' the food was placed at the exit door after 10
days.
For group 'c' food was never placed at the exit door.
For first 10 days group 'a' rats came out from the maze in
less time than 'b' and 'c'.
But after 10 days when the food was for group 'b' they
came earlier even than group 'a'.
Experiment Process
Group I: Rewarded
Day 1-17: Every time they got to end, given food (reinforced).
Group II: Delayed reward.
Day 1-10: Every time they got to end, taken out day 11-17: Every time
they got to end, given food (reinforced).
Group III: No Reward Day 1-17: Every time they got to end, taken out.
Conclusion
Tolman's concluded that reinforcement is not essential for
learning. Although it provides an incentive for performance.
In his studies, he observed that a rat was able to acquire
knowledge of the way through to develop a cognitive map, even
in the absence.
Tolman's believed individual do more than merely respond to
stimuli.
Conclusion
Reinforcement was not necessary learning to Occur.
Cognitive map is an internal representation of external
environmental features or landmarks
He felt behavior is mainly cognitive.
He coined the term 'Cognitive Map'.
