CAS PS 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Psychodynamics, B. F. Skinner, Abraham Maslow

• School: Boston University
• Department: Psychological & Brain Sciences
• Course: CAS PS 101
• Professor: Tracy Dunne

Document Summary

Behavior cause: external environment (opposite of freud) Psychology should only study observable responses, not unobservable mental processes. Environment shapes behavior through association of events with one another (example: pavlov"s dogs) Classical conditioning: learning based on associations between events. Learning to associate two things in a way that if one thing happens, you act in a way as if the next thing will definitely happen. Environment shapes behavior through consequences of actions. Behaviors followed by satisfying consequences are more likely to recur. Behaviors resulting in negative consequences are less likely to occur. Operant conditioning: learning based on consequences of actions. The organism is free to operate /move around its environment. Skinner boxes: organism could roam freely in its environment. Criticize strict behaviorism because human cognition is more complex than other organisms, which pavlov and skinner did not necessarily take into account. Innate human tendency toward growth/change for the better. Humans are unique because they seek to find meaning in their existence.