The Discovery of Animal Behavior: A Question of Learning

December 19, 1982
53 min
Season 1 - Episode 11: The Discovery of Animal Behavior: A Question of Learning

Season 1 - Episode 11: The Discovery of Animal Behavior: A Question of Learning

Nature - Backdrop

Overview

First there is a re-creation of Ivan Pavlov's experiments which led to the discovery of the "conditioned reflex." Then we see the investigation by Otto Pfungst of "Kluge Hans" (Clever Hans) a horse whose apparent knowledge of arithmetic was actually response to subtle signals from his trainer. We also see dramatizations of Thomdike's experiments with chicks, Watson's with terns, and B. F. Skinner's famed work at Harvard in the thirties.

Episode Information

TV Show

Nature

Season

Season 1

Episode Number

11

Air Date

December 19, 1982

Runtime

53 minutes

Crew

George Page

George Page

Creator