Freud and the Psychoanalytic Approach

Freud focused for the first time on importance of early experiences affecting later development. Freud also believed that children were passive and this was shared by another group of psychologists at the time known as the behaviorists. John Watson developed the notion of classical conditioning from Ivan Pavlov's famous salivating dog experiment. B. F. Skinner, a follower of Watson, believed both animals and humans will repeat responses that lead to favorable outcomes. In contrast, they will suppress responses that produce unpleasant or unfavorable outcomes. The likelihood of the behavior happening again depends on whether it's encouraged via a reinforcer or suppressed by punishes.