Alexander Bain: A Pioneer in Psychology

What is the term used to describe behavior that is emitted by an organism without external stimulation?

What is the primary factor that influences voluntary behavior, according to Bain?

What is the result of spontaneous actions being associated with pleasure, according to Bain's theory?

What is the term used to describe actions that are performed because of their previous effectiveness in a given situation?

What is the key difference between voluntary and reflexive behavior, according to Bain?

What type of learning is essentially described by Bain's theory of voluntary behavior?

Who is often referred to as the first true psychologist?

What did Alexander Bain add to the traditional laws of association?

What is the law of compound association according to Alexander Bain?

What is the purpose of Alexander Bain's journal, Mind?

What is the main focus of Alexander Bain's work?

What is the law of constructive association according to Alexander Bain?

What is the significance of Alexander Bain's work in the field of psychology?

According to Alexander Bain, what leads to voluntary behavior?

Alexander Bain: The Father of Psychology

Bain was the first to relate known physiological facts to psychological phenomena, and wrote the first psychology texts.
He founded psychology's first journal, Mind, in 1876, which remains one of the most prestigious journals in philosophical psychology today.

Contribution to Psychology

Bain added the law of compound association and the law of constructive association to the older laws of association.
The law of compound association states that contiguous or similar events form compound ideas and are remembered together.
The law of constructive association states that the mind can rearrange memories of various experiences to form creative associations.

Voluntary Behavior

Bain explained voluntary behavior as a result of spontaneous activity leading to pleasurable consequences, and the organism coming to voluntarily engage in the behavior.
Spontaneous activity is behavior that is emitted by an organism without external stimulation.
Voluntary behavior is influenced by hedonism, the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain.

Laws of Association

The laws of association, including the law of frequency, are still at work in voluntary behavior.
Pleasurable actions become associated with pleasure and are repeated, while painful actions are associated with pain and reduced in frequency.

Determinism

Bain believed that voluntary behavior is deterministically controlled, but in a different way than reflexive behavior.
Actions that are performed because of their previous effectiveness in a given situation are considered voluntary rather than reflexive.

Learn about Alexander Bain's contributions to psychology, including his attempts to relate physiology to psychological phenomena, and his establishment of psychology's first journal.