Introduction


'Hamlet said of man,'How like a god!' (Act II, Scene ii). Pavlov said of him, 'How like a dog!' Skinner says, 'That was a step forward. For like a dog, man is within the range of a scientific analysis' (Dilman, 1988, p.3).




Behaviourism

Behaviourism is a movement in psychology that regards observable behaviour as the only proper subject matter for psychological enquiry (Carlson & Buskist, 1997). Skinner was a fierce advocate of radical behaviourism.


Influences

Skinner originally wanted to persue a career as a novelist and it was his interest in this field that led him to psychology. Philosophy, by Bertrand Russel, discussed a book by John B. Watson called Behaviorism. After reading Behaviorism Skinner's philosophical approach to psychology shifted to an empirical, scientific approach. Two Harvard graduate students, Fred S. Keller who was an established behaviourist, and Charles K. Trueblood who studied the behaviour of rats in a maze, strengthened Skinner's interest in psychology.

Fundamental Premises

The principles of Skinner's radical behaviourism are:
  1. Only observable phenomena can be used to study behaviour.
  2. Psychology is an objective science that does not draw on subjective mental events for explanations of behaviour (Lefracois, 2000).

The principles of Skinner's psychology are:
  1. Various behaviours are emitted by organisms, animals, and humans who are all active.
  2. The consequences of these behaviours determine the likelihood that recurances of these behaviours will increase or decrease.
  3. The organism's physical and social environments determines the consequences of the organism's behaviour (Nye, 1992).


Underlying assumptions

  1. Genetic and environmental factors control behaviour in lawful (consistent and systematic) ways.
  2. Genetic endowment is determined by environmental factors. Although genetic endowment influences behaviour, it is shaped and maintained by environmental factors.
  3. The purpose of psychology is to discover the functional relations between environmental events and behaviour.
  4. Although inner states such as thoughts and feelings occur, they do not control behaviour. Inner states are, as overt behaviour, caused by environmental conditions (Nye, 1992).



'One behaviorist to another after lovemaking: 'Darling, that was wonderful for you. How was it for me?' (source: www.geocities.com/Cape Canaveral/4661/projoke30.htm).