Skinner's Behaviourist Approach

In chapter 1, Opening Skinner’s Box, Slater talks about a psychologist named B. F. Skinner. Skinner shows us how easily operant conditioning can be done. He believed that you have a better outcome if you study observable behavior instead of studying mental events. Skinner’s work focused on operant conditioning. People and animals were the subjects of his studies.

There are many issues with using case studies as it is very difficult to apply the results on a large group of individuals. This is due to the subject who was involved within the case study might not have the typical behaviours which are recognized within a group of individuals. Within this case study of Little Hans there are many doubts about it as Freud didn’t have a huge role in this case study.

Burrhus Frederic (B. F.) Skinner, an American behavioral psychologist who believed the idea that human free will was an illusion and any human action was the result of the consequences of that same action, developed an experiment to verify if superstition was present in pigeons. Skinner’s beliefs led him to conduct this research experiment which ultimately declared him as one of the top psychologists of his era. Skinner believed that the best way to understand behavior was to look at the causes of an action and its consequences. He called this approach operant conditioning.

Between the 1920s and the 1950s the behaviourist approach was often primarily used. Behaviourists thought that psychology should be viewed as scientific, therefore theories within the approach consisted of controlled observations and measurements of behaviour which resulted in quantitative data, sometimes through the process of experiments. Within this perspective there is no room for free will, as all behaviour and thoughts are determined by the environment (Don, K. 2015), this is also the case from the biological aspect as they

Skinner created the theory of Operant Conditioning as he believed that all behaviour can be controlled by rewards or reinforcement. This is very different from Pavlovs theory of Classical Conditioning as Skinner is trying to control voluntary behaviour. This is done by giving the subject a positive or negative reaction to an action with the theory that a negative response will discourage the subject to repeat the action. A good example of this is house training a dog, as the dogs natural reaction is to relieve itself, however it must be taught to wait until it is outside. The more the dog waits until he is outside, the more praise he receives therefore it is less likely to wish to instigate a negative reaction by relieving himself inside the house.

In this case, however, it has been proven that individuals with OCD have increase levels of dopamine compare to those with normal amounts of it. Dopamine is also considered a neurotransmitter which is responsible for motivation, rewards and compulsion.Since dopamine is also a neurotransmitter it works the same way as serotonin. Neurons are constantly communicating with each other this shapes how we think, feel and act. These nerve cells are jointed by the synapse where messages are passed on from one neuron to the next. One of the neuron’s is responsible for receiving information and the other one sends out the information. The sending neuron contains dopamine. When something good happens it releases the chemical to the synapse which are connected tp receptors. After this process dopamine actives the receiving neuron. Receptors activate the dopamine One location where this neurotransmitter is produced is in the hypothalamus. Its primary function is to maintain a balance of various hormones this is known as homestatios. Unlike, serotonin where there was a deficiency with the amount, dopamine in the other hand is the opposite, too much of it has been produced. This causes people to make unnecessary repetitive movements, like excessive eye-movement or meaningless

Experts believe through studies biological factors are a common causes to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. WebMD states, “Brain scans of people with OCD have shown that they have different patterns of brain activity than people without OCD and that abnormal functioning of circuitry within a certain part of the brain (striatum) may cause the disorder. ("WebMd")”

Three major events in the early twentieth century greatly influenced Skinner’s work: Darwin’s theory of evolution, Freud’s psychoanalysis, and Pavlov’s approach to conditioning. Darwin asserted that all life forms evolved from simple forms and that the selection of characteristics contribute to the survival of each individual. Skinner believed that Darwin’s ideas could be applied to behaviorism and coined the idea of “selection by consequences” to explain why people act how they act. Psychoanalysis began in the early 1900s and Freud focused on the idea that people are driven by their unconscious and that adult behaviors are formed in childhood. Skinner agreed with a few of Freud’s ideas; both psychologists believed that behavior has predictable effects and is not a result of free will. However, Skinner rejected Freud’s idea that the id, ego, and superego cause behavior. Pavlov’s

Freud believed infants derived pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces. At the age of three the child derives pleasure from fondling his or her genitals. Freud called this the phallic stage. During the phallic stage the child reaches a conflict called the Oedipal conflict. He describes this in the case of a boy whose sexual impulses are directed towards his mother.

“The Psychoanalytic theory places enormous emphasis on the role of early life events for later personality development (Cervone, Pervin, Oliver, 2005 p.112).” Jenny developed fixation in the oral and anal stages of her psychosexual stage. Jenny’s fixation in the oral stage manifested in substance abuse issues. Jenny’s fixation in the anal stage manifested in defiant personality and an inability to relate to authority.

     Research has proven that behavioral disorders such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder may have genetic roots. For example, people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder may notice symptoms of it in family members. A person with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has a 25 % chance of having a blood relative who has it. (Rapoport, 1989) There is a 70 % chance identical twins share it and a 50 % chance for fraternal twins. (Rapoport, 1989) Researchers think that multiple genes are involved. Women with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder may have worse symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum because of a hormone that is triggered during pregnancy. (Rapoport, 1989)

According to Gewirtz and Peláez-Nogueras (1992), “B. F. Skinner contributed a great deal to advancing an understanding of basic psychological processes and to the applications of science-based interventions to problems of individual and social importance.” He contributed to “human and nonhuman behavior, including human behavioral development, and to various segments of the life span, including human infancy” (p. 1411). One of Skinner's greatest scientific discoveries was “single reinforcement” which became sufficient for “operant conditioning, the role of extinction in the discovery of intermittent schedules, the development of the method of shaping by successive approximation, and Skinner's break with and rejection of stimulus-response

Behaviorism is by far one of the most interesting fields of psychology in my opinion. B.F. Skinner’s view on behaviorism was that a person’s actions are controlled by rewards and punishments. Relating this to a real life situation, a great example of this would be a parent and a child.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, also known as OCD, is a disorder that affects about two to three percent of the population (UOCD). Knowing what OCD is and who it affects is just step one in understanding the psychology of this disorder. The psychological symptoms of OCD can be quite varied which can make it difficult to diagnose. Understanding the therapy techniques and how people with OCD live their daily lives is one of the most vital part in the psychology of OCD. While the roots of the disorder may be complex, understanding the disorder in everyday life is quite simple.

In the field of child development, many psychologists, sociologists, and behaviorists contributed and came up with different theories that helped to form our current education system. One of those is B.F. Skinner’s theory of behaviorism, which had a great impact on many strategies we use today for teaching and training. In his theory, operant conditioning is the most famous and influential idea that helped people to understand the behaviors of children and even adults. Skinner focused on how the environments, in the form of reinforcement and punishments, influence behaviors. Thus, his theory cannot explain the higher cognitive functions such as problem solving and critical thinking. Despite his theory’s critiques, Skinner stood strong on his ideas and theories.