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​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Behavioral Theories

associated with food and caused

1.​ Classical Conditioning salivation on its own.

- refers to the way of learning wherein a - In this experiment, the food is called
stimulus that triggers a biological as an ''unconditioned stimulus'' since
response is paired with a new stimulus its effects on the dog were not learned
which then results in the same reaction. but they instead triggered an
- There are several forms of conditioning ''unconditioned response'' that
naming forward and backward happened naturally and out of the dog's
conditioning. control.
- In the 1890s, Ivan Pavlov did a - Meanwhile, the metronome is at first a
research study revolving the digestive ''neutral stimulus'' through the process
processes of dogs. This became the of repetitive pairing with food so the dog
most famous work in classical learns to connect the two.
conditioning. - In short, the ''neutral stimulus''
- In this research, they have found that becomes the ''conditioned stimulus''
the dogs salivate in the presence of the and the response to that ''a
technician who often fed them. conditioned response.''

PAVLOV's Research/Experiment PAVLOV's other findings from the

Process: experiment:
Hypothesis: Was the technician a trigger 1. Learning occured most rapidly when
that stimulated a response associated the interval between the sound and the
with food? appearance of the food was short.
2. Saliva produced by the sound differed
Step 1: Serve the dog food. in composition from that produced by
Step 2: Serve food while playing sounds the food (the conditioned response was
of a metronome (refers to an instrument not an exact replica of the unconditioned
that mark the exact time at a selected response.)
rate by a regularly repeated tick.) 3. Classical conditioning cannot create
Step 3: Repeat the process a few times. new behavior or be used for training. It
Step 4: Remove the food and only play triggers involuntary biological
the metronome. responses.
4. We can undo the conditioning through
Result: The dogs began to salivate in extinction (when we repeatedly present
response to the metronome alone. the conditioned stimulus in the absence
Pavlov's Conclusion: If a new stimulus of the unconditioned stimulus.)
was present when the dog was given
food, then that stimulus will become WHAT OCCURS INSIDE THE BRAIN:
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Dog sees the food > the signals from the 2. If reinforcement is negative,
eyes and nose stimulate the brain > removing something unpleasant (in the
salivation glands are activates, secreting video, the dog leash) will be done to
saliva to aid the dog with digestion. increase the desired behavior.
3. If punishment is positive,
Dog hears a sound > ears send a signal unpleasant response will be added to
to the brain > brain takes note but has decrease behavior.
no reason to activate anything. 4. When punishment is negative,
decreasing behavior by removing
* When two different neurological something pleasant like the comfy
processes are being activated carpet.
simultaneously, new synaptic
connections occur between the *If any sort of manipulation is stopped,
auditory stimulus and the behavioral the conditioned behavior will eventually
response. disappear again.*
* Over time, these synapses are
strengthened so that it only takes the
sound to activate the pathway leading to SKINNER OPERANT CONDITIONING
salivation. ON RAT
Scenario: Rat is placed inside an
2.​ Operant Conditioning operant conditioning chamber/Skinner
Box (has lever inside that releases food
- Based on the idea that we can when pressed)
increase/decrease a certain behavior
by adding a consequence. *Conditioning happens in a three-term
- Both reinforcement and punishment contingency known as the ABC's of
can either be positive or negative. behavior:
- Was first studied by Edward L.
Thorndike A - Antecedent
- Later made famous by the work of B.F > Rat accidentally hits the lever that
Skinner. triggers the release of food.

B - Behavior (or response)

EXTINCTION: > The rat keeps pressing the lever.
There could be four options for the
mentioned experiment (teaching dog a C - Consequence
lesson) > Food keeps coming out.
1. If reinforcement is positive, adding
something pleasant like a cookie will
increase the likelihood of a behavior.
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*The strength of the response to the their background or genetic

conditioning depsends on the schedule predispositions.
of reinforcement. - Applied the scientific method to human
psychology called behaviorism.
Observations: - Hypothesized that we can also instill
1. If there is always food after pressing, new behaviors that were not inherited.
the rat behaves predictably. - Assumed that our behavior is either a
2. If the food is released randomly, the reflex evoked by a stimulus or a
rat behaves erratically like an addict. consequence of our individual history of
earlier exposure to reinforcements and
punishments paired with our current
B.F SKINNER motivational states and stimuli.
- Was born in 1904. - He was not interested in thoughts or
- A professor of psychology and the mind because in his opinion, the
subscribed to behaviorism. analysis of actions and reactions were
- Skinner believed that organisms are the only way to apply the scientific
doing what they do naturally until they method to psychology and get objective
accidentally encounter a stimulus insights into human behavior.
that creates conditioning which then - Views psychology as an objective
results in a change in behavior. branch of Natural Science, its goal the
- He argued that you can only study prediction and control of behavior.
behavior that is visible and anything - Intelligence, temperament, and
happening only within the mind is personality are determined by the
either misconception or irrelevant to environment in which the child is raised.
science.
- Believed free will was an illusion
since behavior is either random or a ''The Psychological Care of an Infant
reaction to the environment. and Child''
- His work became the foundation for - The book Watson published where he
behavioral therapy, military drills, and advised parents not to touch their
animal training. children too often and to keep an
emotional distance so as not to spoil
3.​ Watson’s Theory of them.
Behaviorism - Playing with children would interrupt
their routines.
JOHN B. WATSON - A happy child doesn't cry or seek
- claimed that if he were to be given a attention.
dozen healthy infants, he could shape - The book later became a best-seller
them into anything: doctors, lawyers, that other scientists and even some
artist, beggars or thieves, regardless of Western government have been against
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showing affection, leaflets were handed 1. John complained throughout his

with an advice that parents should stop entire life about intolerable headaches
kissing their children. and died early in his 50s.
- Parents developed the idea that 2. Mary developed a drinking problem
children should be left to sit quietly and attempted suicide, like her brother
during the day at night (3) James.
- Children should be left crying alone 4. William took his own life at age of 40.
until they fall asleep which is a method
called sleep training. *Watson allegedly regretted writing
about child-rearing as he realized he
didn't know enough about it to do so.
WATSON's EXPERIMENTS: *He became reclusive and prior to his
1. Eight-month old Albert Exp. death in 1958, he burned all his recent
- Used the method of classical papers.
conditioning to program a baby to be
afraid of a lab rat.

Process:
Rosalie Rayner (Watson's assistant)
placed the boy in a room where a white
rat was allowed to roam around > Boy
showed no fear the first time > Rayner
struck a steel bar with a hammer every
time Albert reached out to touch the rat
> Albert is scared and began to cry >
Albert tried to get away from the rat
showing that he had been conditioned to
fear the rat.

Result:
- Weeks later, Albert showed distress
towards any furry object showing that
his conditioning had not only been
sustained but also generalized.

The aftermath of WATSON's

application of his method to the
upbringing of his four children: