Behaviorism

Applications 1

Behaviorism: Modern Applications

Karla N. Treadwell

Kaplan University

Applications 2

What is behavior? Simply put, it is the manner of acting and controlling one self. For many years, theorists have been fascinated with animal and human behavior and what kinds of factors trigger it. There are different theories that have been presented, and experiments that have been conducted to support them. Burrhus Frederic “B.F.” Skinner, a behavior theorist known as the “world’s most influential psychologist”, was best known for his theory of Operant Conditioning.

Operant conditioning is a type of behavior modification that uses reinforcements (rewards or punishments) to decrease or increase the likelihood of a particular behavior, be it positive or negative. His “Skinner Box” creation was his proof that learned behavior can be obtained without the presence of an observable stimulus.

In this experiment, Skinner placed a mouse inside of a box equipped with a bar that, when depressed, released food. Unlike respondent behavior, where one reacts in response to a stimulus, this operant behavior appears to be spontaneous. The mouse was allowed to run around in the box, exploring its surroundings, and when it accidently stepped on the bar, the food came out. The mouse has now discovered that this is where and how it gets its food, and by doing this over and over, it became a learned behavior, or conditioning.

Skinner believed that the only scientific approach to psychology was one that studied behaviors, not internal (subjective) mental processes (2005). Mental and “spiritual” processes are not able to be physically observed to determine accuracy in behavioral patterns, which is the conclusion from which his concept stemmed. Skinner’s ideas were influenced by the theories that were presented by his previous counterparts, Clark Leonard Hull, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, and

Applications 3

Edward Lee Thorndike. Pavlov’s theory was based on...