2. BEHAVIORAL APPROACH
▪This is an approach to psychology that focuses on how one's
environment and how external stimuli affect a person's mental
states and development and how these factors specifically "train"
a person for the behaviors they will be exhibiting later on. Some
who support this approach do not believe that the concept of free
will exists and that all behaviors are simply learned, based upon
each individual's personal experiences, through trial and error by
receiving punishments and consequences for certain thoughts
and actions and reinforcement and positive benefits from others.
3. BEHAVIORAL APPROACH
▪Within the behavioral approach, psychology is analyzed and studied
through the use of solely objective and scientific methods of observing
and evaluating the human mind. Whereas some approaches to
psychology include taking into account a person's own subjective and
unique views on their mind, their feelings and emotions, and their
experiences, behaviorism disregards this data and strictly focuses on
data obtained through "careful and controlled observation and
measurement of behavior," with its primary goals being control and
prediction of behaviors.
▪Lastly, the root of a behavioristic approach to psychology can be
boiled down to the belief that all behavior, regardless of complexity, can
be conditioned and predicted based upon a "stimulus-and-response
association." This means that the reaction can be predicted in response
to a specific stimulus, as well as the potential stimulus being
determined based upon the predicted and expected responses one
might observe in an individual.
4. Types Of Behaviorism
Methodological behaviorism was first presented by John Watson and is the basis of the
behavioral approach to psychology and consists of the beliefs that human beings are no
different from the other living animals in existence and that the objective approach to
studying behavior and learned conditions and responses is the most effective method of
understanding overall psychology and behavioral responses. Methodological behaviorism
also supports the belief that living beings are born with the mind as a "blank state" and
begin learning their responses to the world around them from that point on.
5. Radical behaviorism agrees with the ideas expressed in methodological behaviorism but buil
ds upon them by including the ideas that all living creatures are born with inherent behaviors a
nd traits rather than being "blank slates" at birth and also includes the acceptance of the roles
that biological factors and specific genetics playing a part in an organism's behavior as well. B.
F Skinner, the individual responsible for founding the concept of radical behaviorism, also agre
ed with Watson about the presence of internal psychological processes such as thoughts and
emotions and their role in behaviors (yet not using them to fully explain the responses to stimu
li in a person) but did conclude that they should be analyzed and explained in regards to any b
ehaviors presented.
Types Of Behaviorism
6. To begin with, this is the most well-known behavioral study regarding conditioning regardin
g behaviorism. In the 1890s, a physiologist named Ivan Pavlov was studying his dogs' saliv
ation levels in response to being fed. He discovered that they soon began salivating at any
stimuli they began to associate with knowing they were going to be fed soon, such as his a
ssistant approaching and later on the sound of a metronome. He ended up devoting all of hi
s future work to studying this concept and determined that if a conditioned stimulus (somet
hing they will be trained to respond to) and an unconditioned stimulus (something that is na
turally occurring in an organism) occur within a close enough time frame, the two will be co
nnected and the person or animal will be conditioned to respond accordingly.
PAVLOV'S DOGS
Behaviorism Studies
7. This was a study on conditioning in young children that showed they mimic and learn so
cial behaviors (particularly aggression) through observation of the adults in their presen
ce, called observational learning. The children were split into even groups for experimen
tation purposes and shown a "Bobo" doll that they were to witness an adult both physic
ally and verbally abusing. Afterward, the children were provided with toys that were soon
taken away in an attempt to provoke aggression appropriate for their age range (3-6 year
s old). After having seen the adults display abusive behavior towards the Bobo dolls, the
children then exhibited the same aggressive behaviors when presented with a mixture of
regular and 'aggressive' toys (such as mallets and darts), showing that they had since le
arned by observation to engage in aggressive behaviors when provoked.
THE BOBO DOLL EXPERIMENT
Behaviorism Studies
8. Behaviorism Studies
The Skinner Box - The Skinner Box was an experiment confirming and
supporting the idea of operant conditioning, which shows that
behaviors rewarded will tend to be repeated and those that are
punished will deter an individual or organism from repeating them in
the future. The experiment consisted of placing a lab rat within a box
(the "Skinner Box") and while hungry, it learned that touching a small
lever would dispense a pellet of food, therefore it learned to repeat the
action for a positive response (this is called positive reinforcement). In
regards to negative reinforcement, rats were also placed within a box
that would occasionally give them a small shock but with a lever that
would prevent the shock from occurring. They very quickly learned to
trigger the lever to stop the shock from happening.
9. Behaviorism Studies
• Reinforcement of either nature encourages a repeated response to
certain stimuli or situations, whereas punishment has the goal of
weakening an impulse or action or preventing it later on entirely.
This is generally how disciplinary action regarding children
functions. If a child steals a toy or does some other behavior that a
parent or caretaker finds to be inappropriate, they will be punished
either with scolding, a spanking, or some other type of discipline. In
most cases, this negative consequence of their action remains with
them long enough to learn to not repeat the behaviors that got them
into trouble in the first place.
10. Behaviorism Studies
• The Little Albert Experiment - Though ethically highly questionable,
an experiment was conducted to see if the conditioning proven in
Pavlov's dog experiment could also apply to human beings. This
experiment involved a 9-month-old baby boy presented with a
variety of objects including a monkey, a rabbit, and a white rat. As
with most children, he had no negative reaction to the objects
presented to him, but did startle and begin crying each time when
those experimenting hit a hammer against a steel bar behind him.
Over a few weeks, those engaging in the experiment began to hit the
hammer on the steel bar every time the little boy received the white
rat, and eventually, the sound wasn't even needed to cause him to
become hysterical upon seeing the white rat because he learned to
associate the two.
11. Behaviorism Studies
• This distasteful study showed the connection between behaviors
and conditioning and the development of phobias. He temporarily
was set off with the same reaction even in response to any objects
or stimuli that remotely reminded him of the rat, but eventually had
the phobia symptoms fade, which is called "extinction." They
repeated the conditioning process and showed that he was still also
capable of being retrained to have such a strong response to the
white rat and all related stimuli all over again.
12. How Behavioral Techniques Are Used In A
Treatment Setting
• Cognitive behavioral therapy is
a great example of applying these
concepts as a form of treatment.
CBT focuses on the cognitive
factors and thoughts behind
certain behaviors and helps a
person to become aware of those
and their effects in an attempt to
modify one's thought processes in
reaction to certain stimuli and
situations, therefore allowing them
to make changes to their
behaviors in the process.
• Applied behavior analysis uses
behavioral techniques by using
positive reinforcement to
encourage replacing behaviors in
an individual with more desired
ones. It focuses strictly on the
aspect of behavior modification
rather than involving any sort of
talk therapy like CBT to under the
how's and why's associated with a
person's behavior.
13. How Behavioral Techniques Are Used In A
Treatment Setting
• Social learning theory is a concept
displayed in cases such as the Bobo doll
experiment: that many behaviors are
learned by observation in social situations
and then imitated. In a treatment setting,
this is often applied to those struggling with
addiction and in social work situations. It
often involves surrounding those with
stimuli and observable negative factors in
their lives with positive role models and
support systems to encourage more
desirable behavior and habits and reduce
the likelihood of the actions and reactions
one wants to be rid of.
• Exposure therapy also
utilizes behavioral techniques
by conditioning those with
phobias and strong negative
responses to stimuli (such as
those dealing with trauma and
its associated effects) to be
less and less negatively
affected by certain triggers in
their lives by strategically and
safely having them interact
with these triggers and
desensitize them to the
targeted stimuli.
