PSY405 Notes Lecture 37

SKINNER’S THEORY OF PERSONALITY

Q1. Who was Skinner & what is Radical Behaviorism?

B.F. Skinner

Burrhus Frederic Skinner was an American psychologist and the main guy behind Radical Behaviorism.

Radical Behaviorism (Definition)

Radical Behaviorism is the view that all behavior is shaped and controlled by the environment through reinforcement, and that internal mental states (like anxiety, fear, motives, personality traits) should not be used as explanations for behavior.

📌 Plain English:

Skinner said: “Stop saying people behave a certain way because of feelings or personality. Look at what happened before and what happened after the behavior.”

2. Skinner rejected “inner causes” of behavior

Inner states (Definition)

Inner states = feelings, thoughts, emotions, motives Examples: anxiety, fear, confidence, anger, heroism

Skinner’s BIG disagreement

Most psychologists say: “You stayed home because you felt anxious.” Skinner says: ❌ WRONG explanation.

Example: Party Anxiety (Your example)

Traditional explanation:

You avoid the party because you feel anxious.

Skinner’s explanation:

You avoid the party because in the past, social situations were followed by unpleasant consequences (criticism, embarrassment, rejection). 🧠 Anxiety is not the cause — it is a by-product.

Academic term

Aversive contingencies: situations where behavior is followed by unpleasant outcomes.

📌 Key idea:

The environment trains you. Feelings are just the side effects, not the drivers.

Example: Heroism (Fire rescue)

Common belief:

“You ran into the fire because you’re brave and heroic.”

Skinner’s view:

You did it because similar helping behaviors in the past were reinforced (praise, respect, self-satisfaction). 📌 Even “heroism” is learned behavior.

Q3. What is Behaviorism?

Behaviorism (Definition)

A school of psychology that studies observable behavior only and explains behavior as a result of learning.

Key assumptions:

All behavior is learned Behavior is observable and measurable Behavior = Stimulus → Response

Overt vs Covert behavior

Overt behavior: visible actions (talking, walking, studying) Covert behavior: thoughts, feelings (ignored by Skinner)

Q4. Two types of learning in Behaviorism

1. Classical (Respondent) Conditioning

Learning through association between two stimuli. 📌 Developed by Pavlov, not Skinner.

Example:

Dog hears bell → food → salivation Eventually: bell → salivation

B. Operant (Instrumental) Conditioning

Learning where behavior is shaped by its consequences (reward or punishment). 📌 This is Skinner’s main work.

Formula:

Behavior → Consequence → Future behavior changes