Classical Conditioning and Behaviorism

Classical Conditioning and Behaviorism

When taking psychology classes I have always enjoyed learning about behaviorism because it seems so cut and dry; if someone wanted to get a clear understanding or their fellow man, all they would have to do is sit back and observe. With behaviorism there is no Id, Ego or Superego to take into account, just raw behavior. While this approach seems simple enough, I feel that it can only offer an incomplete window into seeing how people function and react with various things on a day to day basis.

I don’t feel that behaviorism alone can define people on their interaction with the environment they are presented. Freud was on psychologist who voiced concerns to this as well. Freud believed that while environmental factors help to shake who we are as human beings, the subconscious mind is much more influential in the shaping of personality and behavior.

Behaviorism and conditioning has its share of success stories especially when used to curb undesirable habits such as smoking and drinking, however they have also had their moments of darkness as well as seen in 1920 with John Watson and his little experiments that starred a young boy dubbed Little Albert. During Watson’s experiments to help explain conditioning, During his experiments Watson exposed Albert to a number of animals and recorded Albert’s initial reactions which were next to none at all. Watson then began exposing the same animals to Albert, and providing loud bangs that startled Albert at the same time. Eventually Albert began to cry at the sight of the animals even when they were not seen simultaneously with the loud bang.

Watson reasoned that Albert’s lack of visible emotion to his first exposure to the animals was based on ...

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...orks such as asking children to be quite because it’s almost bed time. Although a lot of behaviorism seems like it is based on common sense, Skinner Watson and others that contributed to its study and development forever changed the way science looks at, treats and explains humans and the way we behave.

Works Cited

Skinner, B. F. (1997). B.F. Skinner a life. Washington D.C.:American Pychological Association.

Watson, J.B. (1930) Behaviorism. New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Skinner, B.F. (1978). Reflections on behaviorism and society. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Princeton Hall, Inc.

Huffman, K. (2012) Pychology in action, Tenth edition. Hoboken, N.J.: John Whiley and Sons Inc.

Bartlett, T.B.,(2012). The sad saga of ‘Little Albert’ gets far worse for a researcher’s reputation. Chronicle of Higher Education. 58,2,3. DMACC Libraries Print Holdings.