B.F. Skinner Podcast

Speaker 1 All right. Hello, all. Welcome to our podcast. Thanks for listening in today. We will be discussing BF. Skinner, I'll be starting off in giving you a bit of information about his background. So, yeah, BF Skinner, he was born in Pennsylvania, he was the oldest out of two sons and of his household. His parents were very strict, but they were hard-working people and they did I hated him. And his brother to clear rules of what it means to have proper behavior of his parents. His mother was more dominant figure. He also had a grandmother, she made sure that he understood punishment, and the consequences of having bad behavior. I think this is like directly linked to why he later believe that punishment did not really work with an individual's. And when he was older, he reflected back to his childhood experiences, and he believed that his adult behaviors were Reflection from his past regarding rewards and punishments, which will later hit on. So yeah. BF Skinner, he also after his childhood, he grew up and attended College in New York and he believed he wanted to be a writer but he ultimately only filled with this career path. So he later attended Harvard where he studied psychology and he focused on studying human behavior and he studied under Pavlov and Watson and he ultimately received his Ph.D with his three years and this is pretty much what stemmed through his theory of reinforcements and Speaker 2 behaviorism. Interesting, for a lot of Speaker 3 information. Well, okay, so I'm going to talk about some of the main Concepts and ideas of Skinner. These are the ones that I found like most intriguing about his theory. So Skinner is known as a radical behaviorist. Meaning that like he doesn't believe in free will, he actually said that Free Will is an illusion, which I found was very interesting. He believes that the environment controls and determines our behavior, and he really believes that there's no such thing as a cognition. So according to him we have no, like, say-so in like how we behave. It's more determined by like the environment around us. And what I found really interesting about Skinner is unlike all, like, all the others psychologist and theorists, he actually doesn't believe in a personality, which I thought was interesting because we actually like learn about him in personality class. But I thought, I mean, he has a lot to say about like behavior Speaker 4 and stuff which is really Speaker 3 interesting your personality. Yeah, it's part of exactly. Yeah. But um, So, Skinner believed all Human Action was a result of conditioning and people may ask like, what is conditioning. Well, conditioning is a form of learning that implements rewards and punishments. So when conditioning occurs in individual makes an association between behavior and consequence which can either be good or bad, the most famous example of conditioning is known as a Skinner's box. So this was an experiment where he plays like rats into a box and there were lovers in the box and whenever the rat pulled the lever down, food would come out, which was their form of reward. So, eventually, the Rogers got like condition, basically, to do this. So that's kind of where his idea of like you can condition anybody to do a certain Behavior. If they get rewarded from it Speaker 4 here. Related to you is to animals. Speaker 3 Yeah, that was interesting to like be really emphasize that and to an extent I agree but then again I feel like humans are more like complex than animals. Yeah. So He believed that rewards, increase behavior and punishments, decrease behavior, that kind of plays off of his concept of and distinction, which is a punishment is like given something like after so long that eventually the Speaker 4 behavior will like die out or Speaker 3 be completely like stopped. So that was interesting to another theory of his is schedules of reinforcement, so he has like two types. So one is continuous reinforcement. And this is my desired behavior is reinforced every single time. And this type of reinforcement is most effective when teaching a new behavior and then the second one is partial reinforcement. And this is when a behavior, is only reinforced every once in awhile or part of the time. So it's not reinforced every single time. I'm D, behaviorism. Done. So this usually this type of reinforcement usually occurs like, when a behaviors already learned. So, yeah. And then, I really want to talk about like Skinner vs. Bandura, which is also another behaviorist, but he was more of like I guess more open-minded about like the human mind I feel like bandura had a more. Like applicable Theory than Skinner because Skinner was so deterministic and his views. So I don't know. I really think that when we talk about personality, I feel like we need to take in mind, the human mind and cognition, which is what bandura did. So I just thought that was interesting to compare this to Speaker 2 this Speaker 4 stuff. So I'm going to talk some about the contributions that via had to both philosophy and psychology. I'm going to expand on a lot of stuff that Does he was talking about why his contributions are important? How other people such as bandura Bill on his theory. All that kind of good stuff. So philosophy was DF is definitely considered a hardcore determinist and the issue would determine ISM and Free Will is definitely a prominent one in the philosophy world, if you will. Speaker 3 So philosophically, there's Speaker 4 that battle. Free Will able to choose the ability to make choices and decisions or whether humans are determined by causes fixed. The will. So if you do believe that second part, you're considered more of a determinist. So, because BS like, Justin doesn't, you're saying where he was such a radical behaviorist. He believe we're so much control bar punishments rewards environments, so he definitely Falls as more of a determinist. So I think if you look philosophically his contributions, I definitely think that his findings in his views back up the view of determinism for sure. So psychologically, yes of course had a lot of good stuff. He was able to demonstrate the difference between respondent Behavior, where behavior is elicited and operant behavior or behavior is emitted. So does he's kind of talk about this to our respondent behavior is when a stimulus is given us. And we just naturally respond to that stimulus. So could be a flash of bright, light loud, bang, whatever it may be, and operant behavior, which we have really tested and looked at behaviors admitted to Receive a reward typically. So like does he was saying, would like the rats, are the pigeons in the Box, you're pushing that lever in, you're admitting that behavior to receive a reward. So, yeah. So his experience with the pigeons in the Black Box, demonstrated at the CH sociation, that can develop between action and its consequences. Pushing the lever, getting a food pellet and consequences. I feel like that has a negative connotation but it can definitely be. It's just the outcome of behavior. Speaker 3 So these this experiment Speaker 4 could definitely relate to humans and their various behaviors rewards and consequences. Speaker 3 We also see from Skinner, the development of Speaker 4 reinforcement versus punishment, like does he touched on in both of these can be positive or negative. So you can be given a positive stimulus. A negative stimulus to either increase or decrease Behavior. Reinforcement is the work to you. Want to increase a behavior punishment, you want to hold a behavior. So we have like positive Speaker 1 punishment is you're given A Speaker 4 - you're giving something to someone but it's negative stimulus in order to decrease the behavior. So, a spanking, whatever negative stimulus that may be Speaker 3 negative punishment, is you're Speaker 4 taking something away to decrease Behavior. The child is misbehaving, maybe they have a cell phone that they enjoy you. Take that away from them, and that's considered a punishment to a week in whatever Behavior bad behavior. They had, positive reinforcement is providing something. Great to increase. The behavior is such a child does. Good on a test. Maybe you give them like a stuffed animal or something something they enjoy. I used to get stuffed animal, Speaker 3 so so that Speaker 4 encouraged me to continue to get good grades negative Speaker 3 reinforcement. Yeah. Money negative Speaker 4 reinforcement when I was think of, as the seatbelt example, you're trying to, I think that's right. Yeah. - you're taking away that negative stimulus of the beep in that encourages that increases the behavior of hurting your seatbelt. Go on. So lots of good stuff there. I feel like I like the structure of that for Speaker 3 sure from him. Speaker 2 So yeah. Speaker 3 BS also Speaker 4 explained. I know does he got into this to like Extinction of behaviors as well as shaping of behaviors? Which is really I think can apply to the psychology world when it comes to like psychology of animals. I guess you could say like well I think of shaping our testing should I think of like a dog's like black or he like the dog could lose a behavior because we're not being Speaker 2 Which is the extinction Speaker 4 or when you're shaping an animal along. Like I think of a circus which is super sad but you're giving an animal like rewards every time they perform a trick with shapes of behavior, that's not typically like natural for them in the real world. There are also various parts. Does he saw this cute like reinforcement schedules when a behavior isn't being continually reinforced as you would with things like shaping, we got fixed interval, fixed ratio variable integral, very Alborosie. You? So fixed interval, is when you receive a reward, over a fixed period of time, so paycheck is a perfect example of that. You know, when that rewards coming two weeks, one month, whatever it may be. Fixed ratio is a reward that your C or a consequence, I guess you could say, after a number of times, the behavior is admitted. So piecework is a good example of that. Speaker 2 You, Speaker 4 I guess you could bring it like a school example. Like the number of assignments like particular assignment to complete you get an A you get a reward for that rather than Speaker 4 Our time variable Speaker 3 interval. Speaker 4 It's an unknown amount of time before a behavior is reinforced. So you'll get a pop quiz, you don't know when that time comes but that reinforces that behavior to study in continue to do that and variable ratio perfect examples of slot machine. The amount of times you pull that lever, you don't know when you're rewarded. So that increases that behavior of pulling that lever. So yeah, so there's a lot of good stuff there that he contributed when looking at observable Behavior rewards, and A shipment a lot. We can apply to the real world. I definitely think the most with liked ldren, whenever I think of this can write like this. That is that sounds? I'm like yeah, you reward. Good behavior. You punish bad behavior, definitely Speaker 2 applicable to Speaker 3 that. So his contributions are super important Speaker 4 because it emphasizes behaviorism. Of course, the I like the school of behaviorism and observable measurement. One thing I'm super attracted to Skinner just because everything is so measurable. It really interesting history. Definitely reflects an argument for determinism and demonstrates how we're controlled by environment with controlled in quotes. Speaker 3 Because some people may not believe Speaker 4 that. So his contributions help explain behavior development and different ways that this Behavior can develop based on Speaker 3 punishments and rewards. Speaker 4 I wrote here like we can apply raising children and of course with animals. So yeah, and when I look on like my childhood I definitely think Gov times, I was rewarded for good behavior, punished for bad behavior. So all of his stuff, definitely applies there. So the last thing we're going to touch on for my little section is in what ways to other people build on their Theory. Like does he was saying to like Albert bandura's, definitely on his side to an extent with the environmental Speaker 3 factors. Speaker 4 He's definitely the most notable psychologist that built on vfc re and Albert was considered more of a self Speaker 3 determinist, he believes the environment impact. Speaker 4 Behavior but also believed our Behavior could impact our surrounding environment and be as did not believe that as much. He just thought we were bound to our environment and that it was fully impacted us. So Endora agreed with the F pollute. The environment was important. But as I said, he believed we could impact our environment with our behaviors Albert. Simply expanded on BS Theory by giving it a more personal aspect as well as his ideas would like self-efficacy. And you know, he definitely gave it more of a personal tone rather. Rather than just observable actions and behaviors. All right, so good stuff. So, how do you guys feel? Speaker 3 Um, well, I'm gonna start. Speaker 1 I would like Speaker 2 Skinner's idea about the different types of enforcement. I definitely. Apply, like you said, I definitely wouldn't buy it when I someday have children. The rewards and Punishment system, and I like reflecting back on my childhood, I guess. We believe that like it like we're. Yeah, I'll go only thing. I don't really agree on this house like deterministic he is, yeah, I definitely think that We have like our choice. That's released to the family, our Behavior. So I just don't really think they're like it's yeah basically environment. So Speaker 3 yeah. That makes sense. Yeah. I agree with you. Jessica like I like Skinner. I feel like he's very bold and like he actually contribute a lot to like understanding Behavior, but personally, I agree with bandura more. I feel like Behavior is not just a turn by in our environment. I believe that rewards and punishments encourage or decrease behaving, Speaker 4 but I feel like we have a say-so in like knowing right from wrong. Yeah. Speaker 3 So yeah, overall I do like is going to do. Yeah, I definitely think, like, when Speaker 4 we discussed him in her personality, cause I feel like he does kind of get a bad rap, and which I don't really like, like I'm like, he contributed so much. Like we have named to these ways to and just waste to look at punishment reinforcement, bean seed and animals. We can see animals do crazy things. Speaker 3 Circus because they get rewarded and it's really cool to look at. But I definitely agree with you guys that we do have choices but there's definitely the argument out there that maybe we really don't have choices and we were determined to make that choice all along. So it's not really a choice. All right. It's definitely complicated but I think he's good time. Yeah. Good work ladies. So let's begin y'all. Circus because they get rewarded and it's really cool to look at. But I definitely agree with you guys that we do have choices but there's definitely the argument out there that maybe we really don't have choices and we were determined to make that choice all along. So it's not really a choice. All right. It's definitely complicated but I think he's good time. Yeah. Good work ladies. So let's begin y'all.