Transcript File - AP Psychology

Radical Behaviorism
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/three-laterapproaches-gestalt-psychoanalysis-andbehaviorism.html#lesson
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Determinism and Materialism
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These are the basis for all of science
Science must start with these two tenants or it
cannot do its work
Two Basic Philosophical Tenants
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Determinism:
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Materialism:
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All “events” have a cause
There are no uncaused phenomena
(more later)
The world is composed of only material or physical stuff
There is no non-physical stuff
(more later)
Therefore all causes must be material
More Determinism
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We say that all events are “determined” by
causes
All causes are “lawful” that is, there are natural,
discoverable laws that govern the interaction of
a cause and its effect.
All human behaviors are “determined” or have
causes
This is different from “Predetermination”
To more on predeterminism
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Maggots Analogy
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Humans used to think that the appearance of maggots
was a spontaneous event, that is, there was not cause
for the maggots to appear, they just did
(some believe in spontaneous combustion which
means that something bursts into flames for no reason,
it just happens)
With new technologies and ways of thinking about the
world, eventually humans discovered a cause for the
maggots
So it is with human behavior – just because we don’t
readily see a cause doesn’t mean there isn’t one
What kinds of causes are there?
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Only material causes
Non-material causes cannot exist according to
Materialism Philosophical Background
Non-material stuff include notions of spirit and
mind and mentality
These are outside the realm of scientific study
Where are these causes?
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Causes are primarily in the environment (more
later)
Behavior cannot be separated from the
environmental context in which it occurs
The opposite of environment is “mentality”
(more later)
Black Box Analogy
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Picture the “mind” as a black box
The box is covered with switches, levers, buttons and
all manner of ways of receiving input from outside the
box
It is capable of outputting an innumerable variety of
behaviors
But the connections within the box between the
switches and levers affected by the environment and
the behavioral outputs are unknown and unknowable
because the box is sealed shut
Black Box Analogy (cont’d)
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We can know that flipping certain switches and
punching certain buttons cause certain
behaviors, but we can never know how those
connections occur.
To attempt to discover those “cognitive”
connections is a waste of time.
In summary
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Psychology should be scientific, so must follow
the tenants of scientific explanation –
determinism & materialism
All behaviors are caused
All causes must be physical or material in
nature
Allowing for non-physical causes (mentality,
etc.) violates the basic tenants of doing
science.
Implications
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When is someone responsible?
What is the role of imprisonment?
What is morality?
What is freedom?
Predetermination
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Has roots in religion
A system of thought popularized in the 1600’s by some
groups of protestants
If “God” knows all then God knows what will happen
next
Nothing humans do can violate God’s will
Humans have no choice but to do God’s will
Therefore all events happen because they have been
predetermined by God’s knowledge to happen
How Determinism is different from
Predetermination
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Predetermination implies that future events have
already been “determined,” that is “pre”-determined to
the time at which they happen
Determinism makes no such claim that the future is
“pre”-determined, only that all events are determined
by something in the past
Determinism allows for complex and unpredictable
causes to interact and cause events.
We say that the events of tomorrow are determined by
causes today, but not predetermined in that they
couldn’t be anything different than what they will be.
 Back
Old Philosophical Question:
What is the world made of?
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Since the Renaissance, two philosophical
“camps” have emerged:
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Dualism
Monism
Dualism:
Two kinds of stuff in the world
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Physical
Non-physical
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Spirit
Soul
Mind
“god”
Monism:
One kind of stuff in the world
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Physical only
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(at least I have not met a monist yet who claims that
the only type of stuff that exists is the non-physical
kind)
Monism is also called “Materialism” since
monists believe that only material or physical
things exist
 Back
Behavioral Psychology Types
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Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning