Compare and contrast Functionalism with Behaviorism. Who were the major players in each group?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The Functionalists emphasized the instinctive origins and adaptive functions of behavior. They believed that instincts guide behavior and these instincts impact our interaction with the environment and thus, survival. In essence, what is the function of some behavior or some physical mechanism, and how does that impact our environment were important for the Functionalists. Two major players in the Functionalists area were Dewey and James. In contrast, the Behaviorists is believed that experience was the most important aspect in governing behavior. Their goal was to determine the laws governing learning. Building on the work of the British Empiricists and their ideas regarding associations, the Behaviorists believed that stimuli elicited responses. Two initial theorists in this area were Pavlov and Thorndike. Pavlov demonstrated the process of classical conditioning while Thorndike demonstrated in cats that associations between stimuli and responses cause organisms to behave in a particular manner. Ultimately he theorized Law of Effect, the Law of Readiness, and others. Ultimately, work from both theorists was conceptualized and expanded upon by John Watson’s who wrote the classic book, Psychology from the Standpoint of a Behaviorist. He also demonstrated that many human abnormal behaviors (fear) were also learned.