Historical Perspectives On Behavioural Modification

TOPIC: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON
BEHAVIOURAL MODIFICATION
The roots of behaviourism can be seen to the temple psychiatry of the Greeks and to the early
aversive treatment of the Romans. They have put eels in the wine cup as a cure for
alcoholism. Although behaviour modification was unknown until the present century, many
of the techniques in use today had their beginnings in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Behaviour modification is based on the concept of conditioning. What will later be the
behavioural modification derives from Pavlov's classical conditioning laws, Thorndike's law
of effect, and Watson's formulations on behaviourism. There are two main forms of
conditioning: the classical conditioning based on a particular stimulus or signal that causes an
action; and the operant conditioning which involves using a system of rewards and / or
punishments to change a behaviour.
Behaviour modification was developed from these theories because they supported the idea
that behaviours, just as they are learned, can also be unlearned. As a result, many techniques
were developed to cause or decrease the occurrence of behaviours. However, these sporadic
applications in practice seemed to be reduced or stopped around 1940. Thereafter there was a
retreat to laboratories and the development of more consistent learning theories, in order to
derive more effective intervention techniques.
PIONEERS OF BEHAVIOURAL MODIFICATION
Ivan P. Pavlov (1849–1936)
Pavlov conducted experiments that uncovered the basic processes of respondent

conditioning. He demonstrated that a reflex (salivation in response to food) could be
conditioned to a neutral stimulus. In his experiments, Pavlov presented the neutral stimulus
(the sound of a metronome) at the same time that he presented food to a dog. Later, the dog
salivated in response to the sound of the metronome alone. Pavlov called this a conditioned
reflex
Edward L. Thorndike (1874–1949)
Thorndike’s major contribution was the description of the law of effect. The law of effect
states that a behaviour that produces a favourable effect on the environment is more likely to
be repeated in the future. In Thorndike’s famous experiment, he put a cat in a cage and set
food outside the cage where the cat could see it. To open the cage door, the cat had to hit a
lever with its paw. Thorndike showed that the cat learned to hit the lever and open the cage
door. Each time it was put into the cage, the cat hit the lever more quickly because that
behaviour—hitting the lever—produced a favourable effect on the environment: It allowed
the cat to reach the food
John B. Watson (1878–1958)
In the article “Psychology as the Behaviourist Views It,” published in 1913, Watson
asserted that observable behaviour was the proper subject matter of psychology, and that all
behaviours were controlled by environmental events. In particular, Watson described a
stimulus response psychology in which environmental events (stimuli) elicited responses.
Watson proceeded on the basis of four assumptions: that the emotional response of fear could
be conditioned, that it would transfer to stimuli other than the initial stimulus which evoked
the fear, that the fear would last over a period of time, and that it could be unlearned. For his
subject, Watson chose Albert, an If-month-old infant, especially noted for his robust health
and apparent lack of fear. The conditioned stimulus was a white rat to which Albert had
previously shown no fear and the unconditioned stimulus, a loud noise. When the rat was first
presented, Albert reached for it; but when it touched his hand, the unconditioned stimulus
was paired with the conditioned stimulus, causing Albert to whimper. When fear of the rat
was eventually conditioned it was still evident days later and generalized to other furry
objects.
Emergence and initial developments (1938-1958)
In this period the neo-conductive theories of learning were developed: Hull, Guthrie,
Mowrer, Tolman and, above all, Skinner , who says that behaviour must be explicable,
predictable and controllable from functional relationships with its environmental antecedents
and consequent rejection of explanations based on internal constructs.
The behavioural modification appeared as a consequence of a series of facts:
 Dissatisfaction with the results of traditional treatments in clinical psychology

 Criticism of others Types of psychotherapies to treat neurosis
It began to reject the role of clinical psychologist limited only to diagnosis and began the
demand for professional help and alternative procedures to the effects of World War II, since
traditional procedures (eg. psychoanalysis) were not served.
B. F. Skinner (1904–1990).
Skinner expanded the field of behaviourism originally described by Watson. Skinner

explained the distinction between respondent conditioning (the conditioned reflexes
described by Pavlov and Watson) and operant conditioning, in which the consequence of
behaviour controls the future occurrence of the behaviour (as in Thorndike’s law of effect).
Skinner’s research elaborated the basic principles of operant behaviour. In addition to his
laboratory research demonstrating basic behavioural principles, Skinner wrote a number of
books in which he applied the principles of behaviour analysis to human behaviour. Skinner’s
work is the foundation of behaviour modification.
Early Behavioural Therapy Researchers
After Skinner laid out the principles of operant conditioning, researchers continued to study
operant behaviour in the laboratory. In addition, in the 1950s, researchers began
demonstrating behavioural principles and evaluating behaviour modification procedures with
people. These early researchers such as John B. Watson who wrote the book Psychological
Care of Infant and Child in 1928 and Bowlby's monograph on Maternal Care and Mental
Health published in 1951, set out the maternal deprivation hypothesis studied the behaviour
of children, adults, patients with mental illness and individuals with mental retardation.
Consolidation of Behaviour Modification: theoretical foundation (1958-1970)
This is a very behavioural stage, with a lot of emphasis on observable events and behaviours.
The intervention was directed at modifying maladaptive behaviour s and the possibility of
mental processes underlying these behaviours was not considered. All disorders were
explained in terms of stimulus-response relationships. The emphasis was on the objective
demonstration of treatment efficacy: it was necessary to observe verifiable changes to verify
that a therapy or treatment had been effective. Treatment programs and explanatory models
of the disorders were simple and with few variables.
On the other hand, the theoretical contributions derive from authors from social learning:
Bandura , Kanfer, Mischel, Staats. All of them emphasize the importance of cognitive and
mediational aspects in explaining behaviour.
Expansion and methodological foundation (1970-1990)
It is a much more practical, applied stage, characterized by definitions of behaviour

modification and more epistemological. Applications were separated from grounding in
research and derived theories.
He began the development of cognitive techniques such as Rational-emotive therapy And

cognitive restructuring, as well as techniques of self-control, modeling and feedback. At this
stage he began to import training in self-control skills for a greater generalization of what was
learned in therapy and to equip the patient with resources in the face of problems. The
treatments became more complex, integrating diverse techniques, and applied to behaviour al
patterns more global and generalized. The role of therapist-client relationships and therapist
skills was emphasized. The scope of application of behaviour modification was expanded, as
there were no theoretical limitations, to many areas of health other than mental health and
educational, work and community. The interventions began to be applied in individual, group
or community format.
Reconceptualization (1990-present)
At this stage we have tried to put theory into practice with the elaboration of several
explanatory models. The emphasis has been on the theoretical basis of the techniques and on
the explanatory models of the disorders to guide evaluation and intervention. They begin to
use the knowledge of psychology as a science, especially experimental cognitive psychology
(research on perception, attention, memory, thinking, etc.). The emphasis is on evaluating the
efficacy of therapeutic procedures, since there is no point in studying the underlying
processes of the techniques if they are not effective. In addition to the knowledge of cognitive
psychology, the knowledge of other disciplines such as physiology, Neuropsychology And
pharmacology. Environmental variables such as context become more important, as well as
emotional self-control.
REFERENCES
Behavior modification: Characteristics, history and criticism. Life Persona. (n.d.). Retrieved
September 25, 2022, from https://www.lifepersona.com/behavior-modification-
characteristics-history-and-criticism
Hersen, M., Eisler, R. M., & Miller, P. M. (1975). Historical perspectives in behavior
modification: Introductory comments. In Progress in behavior modification (Vol. 1,
pp. 1-17). Elsevier.
Kazdin, A. E. (1982). History of behavior modification. In International handbook of

behaviour modification and therapy (pp. 3-32). Springer, Boston, MA

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TOPIC: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON

PIONEERS OF BEHAVIOURAL MODIFICATION

Ivan P. Pavlov (1849–1936)

Pavlov conducted experiments that uncovered the basic processes of respondent

Edward L. Thorndike (1874–1949)

John B. Watson (1878–1958)

Emergence and initial developments (1938-1958)

The behavioural modification appeared as a consequence of a series of facts:

 Dissatisfaction with the results of traditional treatments in clinical psychology

Skinner expanded the field of behaviourism originally described by Watson. Skinner

Early Behavioural Therapy Researchers

Consolidation of Behaviour Modification: theoretical foundation (1958-1970)

Expansion and methodological foundation (1970-1990)

It is a much more practical, applied stage, characterized by definitions of behaviour

He began the development of cognitive techniques such as Rational-emotive therapy And

September 25, 2022, from https://www.lifepersona.com/behavior-modification-

modification: Introductory comments. In Progress in behavior modification (Vol. 1,

pp. 1-17). Elsevier.

Kazdin, A. E. (1982). History of behavior modification. In International handbook of

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