PSY502 Lectures 20-21

🔹 WHAT IS NEO-BEHAVIOURISM?

Behaviourism (by John B. Watson) said: Psychology should study only what we can see and measure - that is behaviour, not thoughts or feelings. Neo-behaviourists agreed with Watson’s scientific style: No introspection (looking inside your own mind and guessing). No speculation. Only observable behaviour and experiments. But they also slowly started adding things like goals, purpose, and mental factors. So: ➡ Neo-behaviourists = Behaviourists after Watson who kept his method but expanded it.

🔹 CLARK HULL - BEHAVIOUR AS A FORMULA

Clark Hull wanted psychology to be like physics or maths. So he wrote behaviour

as an equation:

SER = D × V × K × SHR

Let us break this down.

SER stands for Strength of the Excitatory Reaction, but simply: ➡ SER = How strongly a person behaves in a certain way 🔸 D = Drive Drive = an internal need Examples: Hunger Thirst Desire to succeed Need for money 📌 Example: If you are hungry, that hunger is your drive to go find food. 🔸 V = Valence (Stimulus intensity) Valence = how strong or attractive the stimulus is In simple words: how powerful the thing is that you are reacting to 📌 Example: A small piece of chocolate vs a full biryani plate. The biryani has stronger valence for you. 🔸 K = Incentive (Motivation) Incentive = the reward you expect 📌 Example: You study because: You want good grades You want a degree You want a job All of these are incentives 🔸 SHR = Habit Habit = something you have learned by repetition 📌 Example: If every night you revise at 10 pm, that becomes a habit. So Hull says: ➡ Behaviour = Drive × Valence × Incentive × Habit 📌 Real-life example: You go to the fridge at midnight. Why? D: You are hungry V: The food looks tasty K: You expect pleasure from eating SHR: You have the habit of late-night snacking

🔹 EDWARD TOLMAN - PURPOSE IN BEHAVIOUR

Tolman said: Psychology should study behaviour, but behaviour has purpose. That is why he is called a Purposive Behaviourist. He gave this formula:

B = f (S, A)

🔸 B = Behaviour 🔸 f = is a function of (means “depends on”) 🔸 S = Situational variables (environment factors) 🔸 A = Antecedent variables (personal factors) ✔ Situational variables = things outside you Examples: Weather Noise Classroom Traffic ✔ Antecedent variables = things inside you