PSY405 Notes Lecture 34

The Stimulus–Response (S–R) Theory of Dollard and Miller

Dollard and Miller tried to answer one main question: How does personality develop through learning? Their answer was simple but powerful: Personality is a collection of learned habits. And a habit is just: A learned connection between a stimulus (something you notice) and a response (what you do). This is why their theory is called Stimulus–Response (S–R) Theory.

🧠 CORE IDEA: HABIT

Habit:

A stable, learned association between a stimulus (cue) and a response.

🧾 In simple English

A habit is when: Something happens → You respond automatically → Because you learned it earlier

🌍 Examples

Phone notification sound → you check your phone Exam anxiety → you start biting nails Seeing a red traffic light → you stop the car 👉 These are not inborn. You learned them.

⚠️ Important Point

Habits are formed not only by: External stimuli (sounds, sights, people) but also by Internal stimuli (thoughts, feelings, anxiety, hunger) Example: Feeling anxious (internal stimulus) → avoiding people (response)

📚 BACKGROUND: WHERE DID THIS THEORY COME FROM?

Dollard and Miller didn’t invent their ideas from nothing. They built on earlier learning theorists.

🧪 1. Pavlov – Classical Conditioning

Term Meaning

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

Naturally causes a response (food)

Unconditioned Response (UR)

Natural response (salivation)

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Neutral thing that becomes meaningful (bell)

Conditioned Response (CR)

Learned response (salivation to bell)

🐕 Example

Food → salivation (natural) Bell + food → salivation Bell alone → salivation (learned) 👉 Learning = forming an S–R connection

🧠 2. Watson – Behaviorism

Watson said: Psychology should study observable behavior, not thoughts or feelings. Focused on overt behavior Ignored mind and consciousness Dollard & Miller accepted this focus on behavior, but they later included internal stimuli too.

🎯 3. Thorndike – Reward & Punishment

Thorndike discovered: Behaviors followed by rewards get stronger. This is called the Law of Effect. Example: Study hard → good grades → study habit strengthens