Neobehaviorism

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Chapter 13 Neobehaviorism
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1886-1959
1. Logical positivism (the Vienna Circle) 2.
Purposive behaviorism 3. Intervening
variables 4. Learning vs. performance 5.
Purposive Behavior in Animals and Men (1932)
6.APA President (1937)
Edward Chace Tolman
1884-1952
1. Hypothetico-Deductive Theory 2.
Pseudo-mathematical 3. Dominant theory for many
years 4. Principles of Behavior (1943) 5.
Kenneth Spence (1907-1967) 6. APA President
(1936)
Clark L. Hull
1886-1959
1. One-trial learning 2. One law contiguity
3. The Psychology of Learning (1935) 4. William
K. Estes (1919- ) 5. APA President (1945)
Edwin R. Guthrie
1. Skinners positivism 2. Functional analysis
of behavior 3. Operant behavior 4. Nature of
reinforcement 5. Importance of the environment
6. Positive control of behavior 7. Attitude
toward theory 8. Applications 9. Are theories
of learning necessary? (Psych Review,1950) 10.
Schedules of Reinforcement (1957) 10. Verbal
Behavior (1957) 11. Beyond Freedom and Dignity
(1971) 12. About Behaviorism (1974)
1904-1990
B. F. Skinner
1950
1925
1900
1875
1850
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• Compare positivism to logical positivism.
  (387-388)
• What is an operational definition? Give an
  example. What is operationism? (388-389)
• What is physicalism? (389)
• What is neobehaviorism? (389-390)
• What convinced Tolman that he could study
  purposive behavior and still be an objective
  behaviorist? (quote at bottom of 392, col. 1)
• Explain how Tolman used intervening variables in
  a way that was consistent with logical
  positivism. (393-394)
• How, according to Tolman, do early hypotheses
  concerning what leads to what in a situation
  evolve into a cognitive map? (394, col. 1)
• What did Tolman mean by vicarious trial and
  error? (394, col. 1)
• In Tolmans theory, was reinforcement necessary
  for learning to occur? What term in Tolmans
  theory had some similarity to what others called
  reinforcement? (394, col. 2)
• What evidence did Tolman provide for his
  contention that reinforcement influences
  performance but not learning? Also, how did he
  explain extinction? (395, Figure 13.1)
• What influence did Tolmans theory have on
  contemporary psychology? (396)
• Why was Hulls theory called a hypothetico-deducti
  ve theory? Why did Hull consider his theory to be
  self correcting? (398-399 col. 1)
• With reference to Hulls theory, define the
  following terms reinforcement, habit strength,
  and reaction potential. (399, col. 2)

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• 14. What was Guthries one law of learning?
  (401)
• 15. Did Guthrie accept or reject the law of
  frequency? Explain. (401, col. 1, bottom)
• 16. If learning occurs at full strength in one
  trial, how did Guthrie explain improvement in
  performance as a function of practice? (402,
  col. 1)
• 17. According to Guthrie, what is the function
  of reinforcement? What did Guthrie and Horton
  observe that confirmed their view of
  reinforcement? (402, col. 2)
• 18. Summarize Guthries explanation of
  forgetting. (402, col 2, 403)
• 19. According to Guthrie, under what
  circumstances is punishment effective?
  Ineffective? (403)
• 20. In Guthries theory, what is the function of
  maintaining stimuli? For example, how were
  these stimuli used to explain what other
  theorists called drives and intentions? (403)
• Was Skinners proposed functional analysis of the
  relationship between environmental and behavioral
  events more in accordance with positivistic or
  with logical positivistic philosophy? (406-407)
• Summarize Skinners arguments against cognitive
  psychology.
• How did Skinner distinguish between respondent
  and operant behavior? (407)
• What is meant by the statement that operant
  behavior is controlled by its consequences?
  (407, col. 2)
• Distinguish between radical and methodological
  behaviorism. (407, col. 1)
• For Skinner, what constitutes a reinforcer?
  (408, col. 1)
• How did Skinner apply Darwinian concepts to his
  analysis of behavior? (quote, 408, col. 2)
• Why did Skinner argue that behavior should be
  controlled by reinforcement contingencies rather
  than by punishment? (409, col. 1)

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• Summarize Skinners argument against the use of
  theory in psychology. (409)
• State the general rule that Skinnerians follow in
  modifying behavior. Give an example of how this
  rule could be applied in treating a behavior
  disorder. (410, col. 1, bottom)
• What is the status of neobehaviorism in
  contemporary psychology? (411)
• What current research findings are causing a
  weakening or a revision of the behaviorist
  position? (412)

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More Comments from a Former BYU Student
Another incredibly valuable aspect of
majoring in psychology (perfect in our household
with two parents who did so!).is in raising
children effectivelyI cant tell you the number
of times people have come up to us and said,
Your kids are incredible! I really mean that!
They are unusual.So considerate, so
well-rounded, so gifted. You and your wife have
done a wonderful job! That makes us
feel good.but much of what weve done right I
would attribute to our following solid behavioral
principals that we learned in school. I admit
that I am a behaviorist at heart.and everything
we did with the kids was to reinforce positive
behaviors and to ignore and extinguish unwanted
actions.and, boy, did this work! I could give
hundreds of examples.but, essentially, we were
able to train them to want to do the right
thing.in order to get attention, praise,
success, and other rewards.and doing the wrong
thing was simply not an option.We guided them
into these positive behaviors, and there was
almost never a head-to-head confrontation over
issues.Weve been blessed in this area..but an
understanding of basic psychological principles
has been our foundation for success.
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Comments from a Former BYU Student
.I fell into sales a couple of years later and
have never looked back. No further consideration
of continuing my schooling (like you said the
other day, it was nice to be making a living!!)
However, and this is the key.I have used
what I learned in psychology every day for the
rest of my working life since that first day in
sales.Ive had decent success working for a
number of different companies. My last 8 years
have been in the educational sales field, selling
curriculum materials to the K-12 marketmost
recently with an emphasis in foreign language
programs. I love it!! The things I
internalized in psych courseseven just things
from Psych 101I have used to help me navigate
every part of dealing with people customers,
other employees, sales prospects, and so on!
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