PSY405 Notes Lecture 36

Skinner’s Theory of Personality

1. Radical Behaviorism – Skinner’s Core Idea

Definition: Radical Behaviorism is Skinner’s school of thought which says that all behavior is learned and can be explained without talking about internal feelings or thoughts. Key idea: Don’t explain behavior by saying “I felt anxious, so I didn’t go” – that’s too vague. Instead, look at what consequences followed past behavior that made it more or less likely.

Example:

You avoid a party because you “feel anxious.” Skinner would say: It’s not the feeling that stopped you; it’s your past experiences with avoidance or discomfort, the “aversive consequences,” that shaped this behavior. You run into a burning building to save someone. It’s not “heroism” – it’s that similar behaviors in the past were reinforced (you might have been praised or rewarded for helping others), making you more likely to act this way. Plain English: Skinner says behavior is like a math formula: past rewards and punishments shape what you do next. Feelings are effects, not causes.

2. Behaviorism Basics

Behaviorism: A psychology approach focused on observable behavior – what people do, not what they think or feel. Behavior: Anything you can see or measure (overt behavior).

Key mechanism: Stimulus → Response (S-R)

A stimulus is something that triggers a reaction. A response is how you act in reaction.

Types of conditioning:

Classical (respondent) conditioning: Associating one stimulus with another (Pavlov). Operant (instrumental) conditioning: Learning from consequences (Skinner).

Example:

Classical: Bell → Dog salivates (Pavlov). Operant: Ice cream after cleaning your room → you clean more often.

3. Biographical Sketch

Born 1904, Pennsylvania, son of a lawyer. Curious kid: built gadgets, toys, rafts, slingshots, steam cannons – basically a mini inventor. Education: Started in English (wanted to be a writer), then shifted to Psychology at Harvard. Worked with E.G. Boring, Carroll Pratt, Henry Murray – big names in early psychology.

Major contributions:

Skinner Box – a controlled environment to study animal behavior. Teaching machines – early tech to shape learning.

Books:

1. Walden-II – experimental society.
2. The Behavior of Organisms – classic behavior study.
3. Science and Human Behavior – applied behaviorism.
4. Verbal Behavior – language learning through behavior.
5. Beyond Freedom and Dignity – controversial ideas about control and society.

Death: 1990, just after receiving lifetime contribution award.

4. Classical Conditioning

Originators: Pavlov & Watson. Definition: Learning occurs when a neutral stimulus (bell) gets paired with something meaningful (food) to produce a response (salivation).

Key Terms:

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): Something that naturally causes a response (food). Unconditioned Response (UCR): Natural response to UCS (salivation). Conditioned Stimulus (CS): Neutral thing that gets associated with UCS (bell). Conditioned Response (CR): Learned response to CS (salivating at bell).

Steps (Example with Pavlov’s Dogs):

1. Meat powder (UCS) → Salivation (UCR) – natural.
2. Bell (CS) + Meat (UCS) → Salivation (UCR).
3. Bell alone (CS) → Salivation (CR). Second-order conditioning: You can chain learning. Pair a green light with the bell → eventually, the dog salivates to green light too. Extinction: If the bell keeps ringing without food → salivation decreases. Plain English: The dog “learns” that the bell predicts food. Remove food → behavior fades. Humans learn tons of S-R associations without realizing (likes/dislikes, fears, preferences).

5. Operant Conditioning

Origin: Thorndike (Law of Effect), then Skinner. Definition: Learning happens based on the consequences of voluntary actions.