Behaviorism

You may be wondering what behaviorism actually is.

Well, before we can get to that, let's first discuss the concept of learning, or conditioning, as it is called in psychology.
 
Learning 
 
Put simply, learning is "a process that results in a rather permanent change in behavior potential based on experience" (J. Golding, personal communication, January 10, 2013).  This process can be achieved in varying amounts of time, and can be an inhibiting response or the creation of a new response. 

(von Dobschütz, Do you know my parents?)

So, what is an example of learning?  Well, one that might be particularly important for pet owners reading this blog is learning such as litter training your kitten or teaching your puppy to sit and lay down.

 Much research has been done on the process of learning.  This research has been carried out with science, which is the  "careful, slow accumulation of knowledge" (J. Golding, personal communication, January 13, 2013).  Science is also unbiased and a way to discover the laws governing relationships between objects under study. 

Now, learning is controlled by laws.  This means that learning can be the result of a condition (Condition A), which will lead to an event (Event A). Laws are used to simplify our understanding of the universe and allow prediction or control of phenomena.
The way that scientists discover how laws work in the real world is through scientific research, or the scientific method. The importance of the scientific method is that it allows one to explain cause and effect, which of course is very important for the discovery of learning.

Scientific Method

1) Develop a Theory- This is where an "integrated set of principles" (J. Golding, personal communication, January 15, 2013) are used to create a way to predict behavior.  In other words, a comprehensive concept of how behavior works is used in order to be tested.
2) Hypothesis- This is where a researcher will attempt to predict the specific outcome of a research experiment, often with the use of a theory.
3) Observe Behavior- The behavior in question is then observed and collected as data, then used to either prove or disprove the hypothesis.
4) Refine the Theory- The data collected and its findings are then reported through publication and  used to refine the theory through further research.

When conducting research, there are two important variables to keep in mind: 

Dependent variable: The variable that is a result of the manipulation of the independent variable.
Independent variable: The variable that is manipulated within the experiment.



Behaviorism

Now, to behaviorism.  Behaviorism is  "A school of psychology that confines itself to the study of observable and quantifiable aspects of behavior and excludes subjective phenomena, such as emotions or motives" (Behaviorism). The concept of behaviorism combines two forms of conditioning: classical and operant conditioning.  These  can be studied further under their respective tabs. 

The principles of behaviorism are as follows:

1) The mind cannot be studied so should not be part of psychological research.
2) Environmental events cause behavior.
3) Reductionism- Just a few principles can explain learning in all organisms.

History 

Behaviorism was founded on the belief that what was studied must be observable, which differed from previous beliefs about studying behavior.  Before behaviorism, learning had been studied for thousands of years, although not in its current form.
Descartes, a philosopher (1596-1650), was the first person to attempt a scientific study of behavior.  His views of dualism, or that the mind and body are two different entities and therefore cannot not be studied together, led to the current study of behaviorism (J. Golding, personal communication)






  


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