Psychologist Clark Hull

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Clark Hull was an objective behaviorist, who never considered the conscious or any mentalistic concepts but rather made every attempt to reduce every psychological concept to physical terms. The author points out that Hull viewed the drive as a stimulus, arising from a tissue need, which in turn stimulates behavior and that the strength of the drive is determined upon the length of the deprivation or the intensity of the resulting behavior. The paper relates that, although Hull's theories were very popular for many years, late in life, even before the futility of his modeling endeavors became evident, Hull finally admitted that his system probably applied only to hungry rats.

Table of Contents:
Introduction to Clark Hull
Clark Hull's Ideas on Motivation and Behavior
Clark Hull's Theory
Investigative Strategy
Drive and Reinforcement
Habit and Behavior
Evidence Regarding Drive Reduction
Purpose and Incentive
Habit Family Hierarchies
Oscillation and Thresholds

From the Paper:

"Clark Hull believed that human behavior is a result of the constant interaction between the organism and its environment. The environment provides the stimuli and the organism responds, all of which is observable. However, there is a component that is not observable, the change or adaptation that the organism needs to make in order to survive within the environment. Hull explains, "when survival is in jeopardy, the organism is in a state of need (when the biological requirements for survival are not being met) so the organism behaves in a fashion to reduce that need.""

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hull, C.L.. (1933) Hypnosis and Suggestibility: An Experimental Approach. Whales: Crown House Publishing.
• Hull, C.L. (1943) Principals of Behavior: An Introduction to Behavior Theory. Appleton.
• Schultz, D.P. & Schultz, S.E. (1987). A History of Modern Psychology. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publications.
• Hothersall, D. 1995. History of Psychology, 3rd ed., Mcgraw-Hill:NY
• Thomson, R. (1968). A Pelican History of Psychology. Penguin Books Publications. (pp 237-242)

More papers on Psychologist Clark Hull:

• Essay # 85898 : "Twenty Years at Hull House" "
• Analytical Essay # 65364 : "Laying Down the Law" by Joe Clark"
• Essay # 90971 : "TJ Clark's "Farewell to an Idea" "

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