BEHAVIORISMO (1): METODOLÓGICO E RADICAL

Summary

This video explores the theories of behaviorism, contrasting the work of John Watson and B.F. Skinner. Watson's methodological behaviorism focused on studying observable behaviors, excluding emotions and thoughts, while Skinner's radical behaviorism expanded the scope to include thoughts and emotions as behaviors. The video explains the difference between reflexive behavior (stimulus-response) and operant behavior (behavior followed by reinforcement), highlighting how each theory approaches the study of human actions. It also emphasizes Skinner's view that behaviors are shaped by consequences rather than mental processes.

Takeaways

• 😀 The behavior of humans can be influenced by various social factors and environmental conditions, which play a key role in learning.
• 😀 The scientific study of human behavior began in the early 20th century with the work of behaviorist psychologists.
• 😀 Two major approaches in behaviorism are Methodological Behaviorism, founded by John Watson, and Radical Behaviorism, introduced by B.F. Skinner.
• 😀 Methodological Behaviorism focuses on observable behaviors and rejects the study of internal phenomena like thoughts and emotions.
• 😀 Radical Behaviorism, as proposed by Skinner, studies operant behavior and includes the study of emotions and thoughts as observable behaviors.
• 😀 Reflexive behavior is an automatic action triggered by a stimulus, such as a sneeze or salivation when a dog sees food.
• 😀 Classical conditioning, or reflexive conditioning, involves pairing a neutral stimulus (like a bell) with an unconditioned stimulus (like food) to produce a conditioned response (like salivation).
• 😀 Operant conditioning, studied by Skinner, focuses on behavior that is influenced by consequences—reinforcers increase the likelihood of the behavior being repeated.
• 😀 In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that triggers a reflex, while in operant conditioning, the organism emits a behavior and its consequences shape future behavior.
• 😀 Skinner rejected the idea that thoughts and emotions are separate from behavior and argued that they should be studied as behaviors influenced by external factors, rather than being internal processes.

Q & A

What is the main focus of behaviorism in psychology?

Behaviorism focuses on understanding human behavior through observable actions rather than unobservable mental processes like thoughts and emotions.

How did early psychologists like John Watson contribute to behaviorism?

John Watson, the founder of methodological behaviorism, emphasized studying only observable behaviors and excluded mental phenomena such as thoughts and emotions from psychological study.

What is classical conditioning and how was it studied by John Watson?

Classical conditioning is a form of learning where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response. Watson studied this through experiments like Pavlov's dog salivating in response to a bell paired with food.

What is the difference between classical conditioning and operant conditioning?

Classical conditioning involves associating stimuli to trigger automatic responses, while operant conditioning involves modifying behavior through consequences, such as reinforcement or punishment.

How did B.F. Skinner’s approach differ from John Watson’s?

Skinner’s radical behaviorism expanded on Watson’s ideas by including mental phenomena like thoughts and emotions as part of behavior, believing these could also be studied scientifically.

What is operant conditioning, and how does it work?

Operant conditioning is a type of learning where behavior is shaped by its consequences. Positive reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior repeating, while negative reinforcement or punishment decreases unwanted behaviors.

What is the role of reinforcement in Skinner's operant conditioning theory?

Reinforcement in operant conditioning increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Positive reinforcement adds a reward to strengthen behavior, while negative reinforcement removes something unpleasant to encourage it.

How did Skinner view thoughts and emotions in relation to behavior?

Skinner viewed thoughts and emotions as behaviors themselves, subject to the same principles of conditioning as observable actions. He did not see them as separate mental processes but as part of overall behavioral patterns.

What is the key distinction between methodological behaviorism and radical behaviorism?

Methodological behaviorism, as proposed by Watson, excludes the study of mental phenomena like thoughts and emotions, focusing solely on observable behavior. Radical behaviorism, as proposed by Skinner, includes thoughts and emotions as behaviors that can be studied scientifically.

Why did Skinner argue against attributing behavior to mental processes like the mind or brain?

Skinner argued that attributing behavior to mental processes like the mind or brain was akin to 'creationism.' Instead, he believed behavior should be explained through observable actions and environmental factors, without resorting to unobservable mental phenomena.