The History Of Behaviourism And Contribution To Development Of Cognitive Psychology Essay

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Introduction

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This essay will look at behaviourism’s historical evolution and how it shaped the field of cognitive psychology. Early 20th-century behaviourism rejected the investigation of interior mental processes in favour of the study of visible behaviours. This essay explores the ways in which the ideas of behaviourism impacted psychology and so cleared the path for the development of cognitive psychology. The basic ideas of behaviourism, the move towards cognitive psychology, and the synthesis of important ideas from both schools of thought will all be covered in the conversation. This essay seeks to clarify the influence of behaviourism on the development of cognitive psychology by illustrating the complex link between the two fields via an examination of theoretical and historical viewpoints.

Main Discussion

History of Behaviourism

During the early 20th century, behaviourism became the dominant psychological paradigm, upending the prevalent mentalistic and introspective methods. John B. Watson was the driving force behind behaviourism, which rejected the study of subjective mental experiences in favour of an objective, quantifiable, and observable science of behaviour. Watson's 1913 manifesto, "Psychology as the Behaviourist Views It," which emphasised the influence of the environment on behaviour, signalled the beginning of behaviourism’s ascent to popularity (Schneider & Morris, 1987). B.F. Skinner's contributions to operant conditioning and the notion of reinforcement served to further solidify behaviourism’s hold on society. The basis for behaviour modification approaches was laid by Skinner's animal studies, including the well-known Skinner box, which showed how reinforcement, both positive and negative, may mould behaviour. The core of behaviourism is its contempt for interior mental processes in favour of external stimuli and reactions (Edwards, 2016). Because observable behaviour was the main emphasis, rigorous experimental techniques could be used, which led to the creation of accurate and repeatable research. Behaviourists promoted the theory that behaviour can only be explained by the interactions between inputs and reactions, rejecting the study of awareness, introspection, and imperceptible mental activities. Behaviourism was recognised as a scientific approach to psychology by its emphasis on empirical observation and experimental analysis, which was a major break from the introspective approaches of previous psychological schools (Morris et al., 1990).

Impact of Behaviourism on Psychology

Behaviourism had a big impact on psychology's research strategy and methods, encouraging a more impartial and scientific examination of behaviour. Behaviourism transformed the field's approach by elevating objective behaviour above subjective reflection, promoting the use of controlled experiments and empirical observation. This change made it easier to create exact measuring methods and standardised study protocols, which promoted a more methodical and rigorous approach to psychological research. The use of experimental methods like operant and classical conditioning became essential to behaviourist studies. Ivan Pavlov's work with dogs served as an example of classical conditioning, which showed how connections between stimuli might result in learnt responses (Watson, 2017). Research on phobias and conditioned emotional reactions was made possible by this. Operant conditioning supported by B.F. Skinner emphasized the role that rewards and penalties have in modifying behaviour by emphasising the results of actions. Understanding the fundamentals of reinforcement and how they relate to learning and behaviour modification was made possible by Skinner's Skinner box studies. Even with all of its benefits, behaviourism falls short of providing a complete picture of human thought and behaviour (Kozlowski & Salas, 2009). It ignores the influence of internal mental processes, emotions, and cognitive variables on behaviour due to its exclusive focus on visible behaviour. A thorough explanation of human behaviour is hampered by the complexity of human cognition and the shortcomings of behaviourist theories in describing higher-order cognitive processes. The relevance of behaviourism’s conclusions to human behaviour in real-world scenarios has also been questioned due to its dependence on animal models and simplified laboratory settings. Although behaviourism established the groundwork for empirical psychology, its shortcomings highlight the need for the integration of cognitive and mentalistic viewpoints in order to arrive at a more comprehensive comprehension of human behaviour and cognition (Hyland, 2023).

Shift Towards Cognitive Psychology

Several important causes drove the shift from behaviourism to cognitive psychology. First, behaviourism’s shortcomings in describing intricate cognitive functions like language learning and problem-solving led psychologists to investigate how internal mental processes influence behaviour. Second, new tools and approaches for investigating the cognitive functioning of the brain were made possible by technological breakthroughs, notably in the disciplines of neuroscience and computer science. This increased interest in learning more about the inner workings of the mind. Third, a re-evaluation of psychology theories and methods was prompted by frustration with behaviourism’s rigid concentration on observable behaviour and its incapacity to account for individual differences and variations in behaviour (Hamilton et al., 2023). Psychology underwent a significant transformation in the 1950s and 60s thanks in large part to the cognitive revolution. It placed special emphasis on the study of mental functions including memory, perception, and problem-solving as well as the function of information processing in cognitive processes in humans. New theoretical frameworks and research procedures that highlighted the mind's active involvement in interpreting and processing information from the environment were developed as a result of this change (Bazzano, 2013). By combining knowledge from linguistics, computer science, neurology, and other fields, cognitive psychology developed a more thorough understanding of human behaviour and promoted a multidisciplinary approach to psychological study. The limits of behaviourism in describing intricate cognitive events and comprehending the complexities of human mental processes were emphasised by its detractors. Behaviourism was shown to be insufficient in providing a thorough explanation of human cognition and behaviour due to its sole focus on exterior behaviours and disregard for internal mental processes (Zhao et al., 2022). Furthermore, behaviourism’s inability to explain cognitive functions like memory, perception, and problem-solving highlighted the necessity for a fresh strategy that could take the study of mental processes into consideration. These arguments helped to create cognitive psychology, which revolutionised psychology by attempting to close the gap between behaviourism and the study of interior mental processes (MSEd, 2022).

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Development of Cognitive Psychology

Important ideas and tenets of cognitive psychology highlight how mental processes influence how people behave. A key idea in cognitive psychology is information processing, which holds that the mind processes, stores, and retrieves information in a manner comparable to a computer. This paradigm places a strong emphasis on the roles that perception, memory, problem-solving, and attention play in how people view and interact with their surroundings. Another fundamental idea is mental representations, which are the internal cognitive structures people employ to arrange and interpret data in order to support cognitive functions like reasoning and decision-making (Cornoldi, 2006). Ulric Neisser and Jean Piaget, two notable individuals, contributed important advances to the field of cognitive psychology. According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, children go through stages of cognitive development. These phases highlight the importance of assimilation, accommodation, and balance in the process of building knowledge. His research brought to light how youngsters actively shape their conception of the world. The scientist who is credited with creating the phrase "cognitive psychology," Neisser, promoted an all-encompassing method of investigating human cognition, stressing the role that perception, attention, and memory play in cognitive functions (Airenti, 2019). His seminal work, "Cognitive Psychology," was essential in making cognitive psychology a recognised subject of study. Human cognition involves active information processing, problem-solving, and decision-making, according to the cognitive approach to explaining complicated brain processes and human behaviour. This method places a strong emphasis on how internal mental models—like schemas and cognitive maps—help organise and interpret data. It also acknowledges the impact of cognitive elements on how people behave and make decisions, including perception, attention, memory, language, and problem-solving techniques. Cognitive psychology contributes to a thorough knowledge of complicated mental processes and behaviour by studying how people receive and interpret information. This allows researchers to gain insights into the fundamental cognitive mechanisms that underlie human behaviour (Saracho, 2021).

Integration of Behaviourism and Cognitive Psychology

A number of behaviourist components have been included into cognitive psychology, greatly impacting its framework. One such integration is the recognition of behaviourism’s emphasis on the significance of environmental influences in determining behaviour. Recognising the influence of outside stimuli on cognitive processes, cognitive psychology places special emphasis on learning and environmental factors in the formation of mental models and cognitive structures. In cognitive psychology, behaviourist concepts have a clear impact on research methods and experimental designs. In cognitive psychology, controlled experiments, methodical observation, and quantitative analysis all essential components of behaviourist research—remain prevalent (Hishinuma, 1998). In order to comprehend how environmental stimuli affect cognitive processes and behaviour, behaviourist conditioning principles—such as classical and operant conditioning—have also been used to cognitive studies. When it comes to comprehending human cognition and behaviour, behaviourism and cognitive psychology complement each other by emphasising different internal and external elements. The field of cognitive psychology explores the internal mental processes and information processing systems that underpin behaviour, whereas behaviourism concentrates on visible behaviour and contextual effects. A thorough knowledge of how internal cognitive processes and external stimuli interact to influence human behaviour and cognition is made possible by this integration. Researchers can investigate the complex interactions between internal mental representations and external stimuli by combining behaviourist and cognitive views. This approach offers a comprehensive framework for comprehending complicated human behaviour and cognition (Treisman & Gelade, 1980).

Key Research Evidence and Theoretical Frameworks

Ivan Pavlov's work on classical conditioning is a seminal work in behaviourism. It showed how dogs may be trained to identify an unconditioned stimulus, like food, with a neutral stimulus, like a bell, resulting in a learnt response, which in this case would be salivation. This study shed insight on the function of associative learning in the development of behaviour and laid the groundwork for our knowledge of how creatures might come to correlate particular stimuli with particular behaviours. George Miller's 1956 research, "The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two," looked at the boundaries of human working memory capacity in the field of cognitive psychology. Miller's research, which revealed that the human mind is capable of retaining about seven discrete pieces of information in short-term memory, had an impact on other studies concerning memory functions and information processing speed.

The results of these investigations have important ramifications for our comprehension of human thought and behaviour (Zhao et al., 2022). Associative learning principles were illustrated by Pavlov's study, which also showed how environmental signals may cause conditioned responses. Understanding learnt behaviours and how environmental conditioning affects human behaviour, including the emergence of phobias and other learned reactions to stimuli, is affected by this. Miller's study on working memory capacity gave insight on the boundaries that control cognitive processes and emphasised the cognitive limits of information processing. This discovery sheds light on the limitations of memory-related cognitive processes and has consequences for our knowledge of how people encode, store, and retrieve information. The results of this research have helped shape psychological theoretical frameworks. Behaviourist ideas have included the concepts of classical conditioning from Pavlov's research, highlighting the significance of associative learning in the development and alteration of behaviour. Additionally, Miller's research on working memory capacity has impacted the creation of cognitive models of memory, which in turn has informed the theories of memory and information processing (Cornoldi, 2006).

Conclusion

In summary, behaviourism and cognitive psychology have a complex connection that has greatly influenced the direction of psychological research. Cognitive psychology examined the intricacies of internal mental processes and information processing, whereas behaviourism focused on visible behaviours and contextual effects. A significant change in our knowledge of human cognition and behaviour occurred with the transition from behaviourism to cognitive psychology, which recognised the interaction between internal cognitive processes and external stimuli. Through the incorporation of behaviourist aspects into the framework of cognitive psychology, scholars have progressed psychology by gaining a deeper comprehension of the complex interactions between environmental factors and cognitive processes.

References

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