Behaviorism The Staple Of Psychology From The 1920 S

Behaviorism was the staple of psychology from the 1920’s to the 1950’s. It started as a concept from Pavlov’s famous experiment where he came across the phenomenon of classical conditioning. Unfortunately it wasn’t until much later that the concept of conditioning became a paradigm for psychologists worldwide. Not long after Pavlov’s experiment was published a man named John Watson would soon pioneer a new scientific front in the field of psychology. John Watson is most noted for founding behaviorism and for his famous â€Å"Little Albert† experiment. In Watson’s (1920) experiment he sought to find out if he could condition a small infant. He selected an infant (Albert) for the experiment. As children we are not born with fears or phobias therefore using the child was necessary to prove that fears or phobias could be instilled through conditioning parameters. He first introduced Little Albert to a white rat. Since the baby had not developed a fear for rats he loved it. It made him happy and he wanted to play with it. Unfortunately playing with the rat was not part of the experiment. Soon after introduction, Watson would then use a metal rod to make a loud noise once reintroducing the rat to Albert in subsequent attempts. After several trials of hearing the loud clang from the metal rod the baby would cry once the rat was introduced. This is because the loud clang became associated with the presence of the rat. This is the essence of classical conditioning. The ratShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pages10.5/12 ITC New Baskerville Std Credits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on the appropriate page within text. Copyright  © 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval