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Ivan Petrovich Pavlov
(1849-1936): Russian physiologist (Nobel prize for work on digestion,
1904). Pioneer of the theory of "classical
conditioning".
Biography
Burrhus Frederic Skinner
(1904-90): Best known of all behaviorists, and explorer of
operant
conditioning: the process whereby the probability of
behavior
being repeated is increased if it is reinforced. Positive
reinforcement (in sloppy language — reward) is more effective in
learning than negative reinforcement (punishment). Developed early
"teaching machines", and even described a behaviorist
utopia in Walden Two (1961). Various attempts were made to
create Walden Two in practice. They all failed.
Skinner did say some useful things, among them:
The Skinner
site
Edward Lee Thorndike
(1874-1949) US animal and later educational psychologist, developed
the theory of trial and error learning through experiments
with animals having to escape from puzzle boxes. His law of effect
describes the establishment of learned responses through "trial
and success". The law of exercise describes how learning
improves with practice. As an educational psychologist he published
a paper in 1901 with Woodworth, undermining the idea of the (necessary)
transferability of learning.
More
on him
John Broadus Watson
(1878-1958): Apostle of Behaviorism, building on Pavlov's
ideas to maintain that the reflex was the basic unit of behavior.
Claimed:
"Give me a dozen healthy infants ... and my own
specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to
take any one at random and train him to become any type
of specialist I might select — doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief
and yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents,
penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of
his ancestors."
He later qualified this view. Nevertheless
it is interesting to note the final phrase: at a time when racism
was routine, Watson treated it as irrelevant. The extreme environmentalism
of the early behaviorists was politically liberal. And
on him
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