B. F. Skinner (1905-1990) Was the ‘Quintessential’ behaviourist, like Pavlov Skinner investigated learning mainly with animals, he developed a different type of learning called ‘Operant Conditioning’ and the ‘Law of Effect’ more complex than classical conditioning, it deals with more complicated behaviour and with voluntary reactions rather than just reflexes. Skinner believed that one kind of behaviour comes to be linked with a stimulus of some kind.
Skinners Box experiment involved rewarding rats with food pellets to stop the rats displaying escape-seeking behaviour, he rewarded the rats with food pellets to strengthen good behaviour. Skinner trained the rats to press on a lever to receive the food and found that he could easily control their behaviour using reinforcement. The goal was ultimately to predict behaviour. These ideas of operant conditioning have been positively applied to human behaviour.
The Cognitive approach has over shadowed the Behaviourist approach as the dominant perspective.
Cognitive psychology looks at the study of the human mind with the emphasis on external observable events and how the brain takes in, transforms and uses information. The Latin definition for cognitive is ‘cognito’, meaning to apprehend, understand and know.
There are three main areas in the cognitive approach. The first is how the mind works can explain behaviour. The second with the rise of Computers in the 1950’s it was thought that the mind was similar to a computer ‘symbol processing’ (but this is not entirely reliable because you can only get out what you put in). The third was that psychology was pure science that could only be based on laboratory experiments.
Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) set up the first psychological laboratory in Leipzig in 1879. The main method used was Introspection, an experimental form of self-observation, which looks inwards at ones own mental experience.
Wundt described consciousness as arising from two factors, the first is the sensory information we receive from the outside world through the senses of hearing and vision etc, being part of the consciousness. And the second is our internal feelings and emotions. It was considered the combination of the two according to Wundt that produced consciousness.
The Humanistic approach was developed in America during the 1960’s. Known as the ‘Third Force/Approach in Human Psychology’ it focuses on what it means to be a human being and the uniqueness of the individual.
Carl Rogers (1902-1987) Developed the client centred approach; he was the founder of the counselling movement. Rogers believed that we all have the potential for growth and development.
Rogers developed this approach as an alternative to the Psychoanalytical and Behaviourist approaches. Rogers believed in the concept of self and the power of each individual for self-healing with the emphasis on individual responsibility. These are the strengths of the Humanistic approach, the weakness are that it is vague, unscientific, un-testable and relies on self reports and is open to free will. Other scientists argue if counselling actually effective.
In conclusion, all the approaches mentioned in this essay have helped to shape psychology as it is today, a much valued science, each approach enhancing or encouraging more ways of understanding humankind.