Problems of Behaviorism - Research Paper Example

2 May, Cognitive psychology and the problems of behaviorism: There are so manyproblems with behaviorism that it would rather make more sense to see in what ways, behaviorism is not problematic! Let’s suppose that the weather forecast shows that rainfall is expected. Mr. X would take umbrella with him as a precaution while moving out. This is quite normal and a very sensible decision to make, though a behaviorist would make a fuss of it and say that Mr. X has unnecessarily associated umbrella with the rain.

This is similar to the case when pet dogs salivate upon hearing the bell ring, whether it is the time for supper or not (Naik), or fish in the aquarium swim up to the surface of water in search of food when the air bubble motor stops to function. Some people cultivate a desire to have a walk in the rain. They purposefully don’t take umbrellas with them. Yet there are people who adopt either of the two approaches from time to time. It is quite impossible to discuss the outcome of internal desires without making use of such terms as desires, wishes, dreams, pleasure and pain.

What is specifically problematic with behaviorism is that one hardly ever gets to know mind generates different desires in similar circumstances at different points in time (Cofer). Things just happen. According to the statistics recorded by Anderson (cited in Berkeley), the field of cognitive psychology surfaced and was readily explored in the twenty years from 1950 to 1970. After the World War II, increased amount of research was conducted on such issues as improvement of workforce’s performance, study of computer science and particularly the artificial intelligence.

The Second World War played a big role in rejuvenating the interest of people in the study of linguistics. Thus, factors that have been key players and drivers of the evolution of study of cognitive psychology include but are not limited to industrialization, scientific advancement and political upsets across the globe. Study of cognitive psychology involves understanding the human mind and the way it functions. Most of the studies related to this field revolve around the problems of learning, and offer recommendations for improving memory and solving thought related problems.

Thus, cognitive psychology is essentially the study of interaction of human mind with the environment and the various elements that form part of it. In fact, the study of cognitive psychology covers many more areas in addition to the functioning of mind including the cognitive function layers. Behavior is an outcome of psychology. Study of cognitive psychology has made some part in resolving the problems of behaviorism. For example, many people dream of certain circumstances that they are facing at a certain point in time.

The thoughts keep occupying an individual while he/she is asleep. With more research and advancement in the field of cognitive psychology, it has become possible to control an individual’s dreams. With an understanding of mental functions, scientists have been able to develop the Lucid Dream machine, which inculcates optimism in depressed people through optimistic dreaming. Works Cited: Berkeley, George. “18th Century: The British Empiricists.” Cognitive Processes Classes. 1997. Web. 2 May. 2011. .

Cofer, David. “Behaviorism.” 2002. Web 2 May. 2011. . Naik, Payal. “Behaviorism as a Theory of Personality: A Critical Look.” 1998. Web. 2 May. 2011. .