Ryazan, Russia,
famous research into the
was initially destined to follow in
digestive secretions of dogs,
his father’s footsteps. However, he
which won him the Nobel Prize
quickly abandoned his training at
in 1904. Pavlov retired officially
a local seminary, transferring
in 1925, but continued his
to the University of St. Petersburg
experiments until his death from
to study natural science. After
pneumonia in February 1936.
graduation in 1875, he enrolled at
the Academy of Medical Surgery,
Key works
where he gained a doctorate and
later a fellowship. In 1890, Pavlov
1897 Lectures on the Work of
became a professor at the Military
the Principal Digestive Glands
Medical Academy, and was also
1928 Lectures on Conditioned
made director of the physiology
Reflexes
department at the Institute of
1941 Conditioned Reflexes
Experimental Medicine. It was
and Psychiatry
62
PROFITLESS IN CONTEXT
APPROACH
Connectionism
BEFORE
ACTS ARE
1885 In his book On Memory ,
Hermann Ebbinghaus
describes the “forgetting
curve”—the rate at which
human memories fade.
1890s Ivan Pavlov establishes
the principle of classical
STAMPED OUT conditioning.
AFTER
EDWARD THORNDIKE (1874–1949)
1918 John B. Watson’s “Little
Albert” experiments apply
conditioning to a human baby.
1923 English psychologist
Charles Spearman proposes
a single general factor—the
“g factor”—in measurements
of human intelligence.
1930s B.F. Skinner develops
a theory of conditioning from
consequences—“operant
conditioning”.
A t much the same time as
Pavlov was conducting his
experiments on dogs in
Russia, Edward Thorndike began
researching animal behavior for
his doctoral thesis in the US.
He was perhaps the first true
“behaviorist” psychologist,
although his research took place
long before the term was adopted.
Scientific psychology was
emerging as a fresh field of study
in universities when Thorndike
graduated in the 1890s, and he
was attracted by the prospect of
applying this new science to his
interest in education and learning.
Thorndike’s original intention had
been to study learning in humans,
BEHAVIORISM 63
See also: Hermann Ebbinghaus 48–49 ■ Ivan Pavlov 60–61 ■ John B. Watson 66–71 ■ Edward Tolman 72–73 ■
B.F. Skinner 78–85 ■ Donald Hebb 163 ■ Hans Eysenck 316–21
When an
animal responds
to a stimulus…
Psychology helps to
measure the probability
that an aim is attainable.
Edward Thorndike
…the outcome may
…the outcome may
be rewarding
be profitless
(such as escaping from
(such as still being
a cage).
trapped in a cage).
but when he was unable to obtain
a suitable subject for his research,
he turned his attention to animals,
with the aim of examining the
The connection between
The connection between
processes of intelligence and
the action and the event
the action and the event
learning through observation in
is strengthened .
is weakened .
a series of controlled experiments.
Thorndike’s results went much
further than this, however,
laying down the foundations
of behaviorist psychology.
Learning environments
Thorndike’s first studies were
Rewarded responses are
of chicks learning to negotiate
“stamped in,” while profitless
mazes that he designed and built
acts are “stamped out.”
specifically for his experiments.
This later became a hallmark
of behaviorist experimental
technique—the use of a specially
created environment in which a
subject is given specific stimuli or
various devices, such as a loop of
box each time; this indicated how
tasks, now known as “instrumental
string, or a ring, or a button or
quickly the animal was learning
conditioning” or “instrumental
panel to be pressed, only one of
about its environment.
learning.” As his research
which would be connected to the
The experiment was carried out
progressed, Thorndike turned his
latch that would open
famous research into the
was initially destined to follow in
digestive secretions of dogs,
his father’s footsteps. However, he
which won him the Nobel Prize
quickly abandoned his training at
in 1904. Pavlov retired officially
a local seminary, transferring
in 1925, but continued his
to the University of St. Petersburg
experiments until his death from
to study natural science. After
pneumonia in February 1936.
graduation in 1875, he enrolled at
the Academy of Medical Surgery,
Key works
where he gained a doctorate and
later a fellowship. In 1890, Pavlov
1897 Lectures on the Work of
became a professor at the Military
the Principal Digestive Glands
Medical Academy, and was also
1928 Lectures on Conditioned
made director of the physiology
Reflexes
department at the Institute of
1941 Conditioned Reflexes
Experimental Medicine. It was
and Psychiatry
62
PROFITLESS IN CONTEXT
APPROACH
Connectionism
BEFORE
ACTS ARE
1885 In his book On Memory ,
Hermann Ebbinghaus
describes the “forgetting
curve”—the rate at which
human memories fade.
1890s Ivan Pavlov establishes
the principle of classical
STAMPED OUT conditioning.
AFTER
EDWARD THORNDIKE (1874–1949)
1918 John B. Watson’s “Little
Albert” experiments apply
conditioning to a human baby.
1923 English psychologist
Charles Spearman proposes
a single general factor—the
“g factor”—in measurements
of human intelligence.
1930s B.F. Skinner develops
a theory of conditioning from
consequences—“operant
conditioning”.
A t much the same time as
Pavlov was conducting his
experiments on dogs in
Russia, Edward Thorndike began
researching animal behavior for
his doctoral thesis in the US.
He was perhaps the first true
“behaviorist” psychologist,
although his research took place
long before the term was adopted.
Scientific psychology was
emerging as a fresh field of study
in universities when Thorndike
graduated in the 1890s, and he
was attracted by the prospect of
applying this new science to his
interest in education and learning.
Thorndike’s original intention had
been to study learning in humans,
BEHAVIORISM 63
See also: Hermann Ebbinghaus 48–49 ■ Ivan Pavlov 60–61 ■ John B. Watson 66–71 ■ Edward Tolman 72–73 ■
B.F. Skinner 78–85 ■ Donald Hebb 163 ■ Hans Eysenck 316–21
When an
animal responds
to a stimulus…
Psychology helps to
measure the probability
that an aim is attainable.
Edward Thorndike
…the outcome may
…the outcome may
be rewarding
be profitless
(such as escaping from
(such as still being
a cage).
trapped in a cage).
but when he was unable to obtain
a suitable subject for his research,
he turned his attention to animals,
with the aim of examining the
The connection between
The connection between
processes of intelligence and
the action and the event
the action and the event
learning through observation in
is strengthened .
is weakened .
a series of controlled experiments.
Thorndike’s results went much
further than this, however,
laying down the foundations
of behaviorist psychology.
Learning environments
Thorndike’s first studies were
Rewarded responses are
of chicks learning to negotiate
“stamped in,” while profitless
mazes that he designed and built
acts are “stamped out.”
specifically for his experiments.
This later became a hallmark
of behaviorist experimental
technique—the use of a specially
created environment in which a
subject is given specific stimuli or
various devices, such as a loop of
box each time; this indicated how
tasks, now known as “instrumental
string, or a ring, or a button or
quickly the animal was learning
conditioning” or “instrumental
panel to be pressed, only one of
about its environment.
learning.” As his research
which would be connected to the
The experiment was carried out
progressed, Thorndike turned his
latch that would open
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