a movement in psychology founded by Pavlov?, Behaviorism is a school of psychology that focuses on the study of observable behavior. Ivan Pavlov is considered one of the founders of behaviorism because of his famous experiments with dogs.
Pavlov was a Russian physiologist who studied the digestive system of dogs. During his experiments, he noticed that dogs began to salivate as soon as they felt or saw food. It was an unconditioned reflex because it was a natural response to food without any association or prior training.
Interestingly, Pavlov discovered that over time the dogs also began to salivate as soon as they noticed the presence of the researcher, even when there was no food. This phenomenon was known as a conditioned reflex, where an initially neutral stimulus (such as the presence of an investigator) was paired with an unconditioned stimulus (food) that elicited the same response.
This classic Pavlovian experiment showed that behavior can be learned through association and repetition and laid the foundation for behaviorism. According to behaviorism, human behavior can be understood and predicted by external stimuli and responses to those stimuli. It focuses on observable behavior and avoids introspection or mental processes.
Other important figures in behaviorism are John B. Watson and BF Skinner. Watson is often regarded as the founder of behaviorism in the US and emphasized the importance of environmental influences in shaping behavior. Skinner developed the concept of operant conditioning, in which behavior is influenced by rewards and punishments.
Although behaviorism in its purest form is no longer as prevalent in modern psychology, the ideas of Pavlov and other behaviorists have had a lasting impact on the understanding and learning of behavior. Modern schools of psychology tend to be more eclectic, incorporating elements from different approaches to provide a more complete picture of human behavior and mental processes.