The course of psychology changed dramatically in the early 1900s when another
approach, called behaviorism, emerged as a dominating force.Instead, behaviorism
contended that psychology should focus its scientific investigations strictly on overt
behavior--observable behaviors that could be objectively measured and verified.Although Watson left academic psychology in the early 1920s, behaviorism was
later championed by an equally forceful proponent--the famous American psychologist
B. F. Skinner.Like Watson, Skinner believed that psychology should restrict itself
to studying outwardly observable behaviors that could be measured and verified.Behaviorism rejected
the emphasis on consciousness promoted by structuralism and functionalism.Structuralism was still an influential perspective, but Watson
strongly objected to both its method of introspection and its focus on conscious
mental processes.The goal
of the behaviorists was to discover the fundamental principles of learning--how
behavior is acquired and modified in response to environmental influences.In compelling experimental demonstrations, Skinner systematically used reinforcement
or punishment to shape the behavior of rats and pigeons.Pavlov demonstrated that dogs could learn to associate a neutral stimulus,
such as the sound of a bell, with an automatic behavior, such as reflexively
salivating to food.It also
flatly rejected Freudian notions about unconscious influences.Behaviorism grew out of the pioneering work of a Russian physiologist named
Ivan Pavlov.In the United States, a young, dynamic psychologist named John B. Watson
shared Pavlov's enthusiasm.Between Watson and Skinner, behaviorism dominated American psychology for almost
half a century.During that time, the study of conscious experiences was largely
ignored as a topic in psychology (Baars, 2005).In Chapter 5, on learning, we'll look
at the lives and contributions of Pavlov, Watson, and Skinner in greater detail.Once an association between the sound of the bell and the food
was formed, the sound of the bell alone would trigger the salivation reflex in the
dog.Pavlov enthusiastically believed he had discovered the mechanism by which all
behaviors were learned.Watson (1913) championed behaviorism as a new
school of psychology.Behaviorism claims that consciousness is neither a definite
nor a usable concept.The behaviorist, who has been trained always as an experimentalist,
holds, further, that belief in the existence of consciousness goes back to the ancient
days of superstition and magic.For the
most part, the behaviorists studied animal behavior under carefully controlled laboratory
conditions.Behaviorism is yet another example of the influence of physiology on psychology.As Watson (1924) wrote in his classic book, Behaviorism:
Behaviorism, on the contrary, holds that the subject matter of human psychology is the
behavior of the human being.The influence of behaviorism on American psychology was enormous.