Behaviorism

Definition

Behaviorism is a psychological approach that focuses on observable behaviors and the ways they're learned through interactions with the environment. It emphasizes the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning, either classical or operant, and rejects introspection as a method of study. This perspective dominated psychology for much of the early to mid-20th century and laid the groundwork for later developments in cognitive psychology.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Behaviorism gained prominence in the early 20th century, primarily through the work of psychologists like John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner.
2. It posits that all behaviors are shaped by environmental factors and that internal thoughts and feelings are not necessary for understanding behavior.
3. The famous 'Little Albert' experiment conducted by Watson showcased how emotional responses can be conditioned using classical conditioning techniques.
4. Skinner's work on operant conditioning introduced concepts like reinforcement and punishment, which are key to understanding behavior modification.
5. Despite its influence, behaviorism faced criticism for its neglect of mental processes, paving the way for the cognitive revolution in psychology during the 1960s.

Review Questions

• How does behaviorism explain the process of learning compared to other psychological theories?
  • Behaviorism explains learning as a process driven by interactions with the environment, focusing solely on observable behaviors rather than internal mental states. This contrasts with other psychological theories, such as cognitive psychology, which emphasize mental processes like thinking and memory. In behaviorism, learning is primarily a result of conditioning—either classical or operant—demonstrating that behaviors can be modified through reinforcement or punishment.
• Discuss the significance of classical conditioning within the behaviorist framework and its impact on behavioral therapies.
  • Classical conditioning is significant within the behaviorist framework as it illustrates how associations between stimuli can create learned responses. This concept has been foundational in developing behavioral therapies, particularly in treating phobias and anxiety disorders through exposure therapy. By systematically exposing individuals to feared stimuli while providing a calm environment, therapists can help unlearn conditioned responses, showcasing how principles of classical conditioning can lead to practical therapeutic outcomes.
• Evaluate the criticisms of behaviorism and how they led to the emergence of cognitive psychology as a significant approach.
  • Critics of behaviorism argued that it oversimplified human behavior by ignoring internal thoughts and emotions, viewing people merely as products of their environment. This critique highlighted the need for an understanding of mental processes, leading to the emergence of cognitive psychology in the 1960s. Cognitive psychology expanded on behaviorism by investigating how people think, remember, and solve problems, thus providing a more comprehensive view of human behavior that included both observable actions and internal cognitive functions.

Related terms

Classical Conditioning: A learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus, eliciting a conditioned response, famously demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov's experiments with dogs.

Operant Conditioning:

A method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior, introduced by B.F. Skinner, highlighting how consequences influence future behavior.

Cognitive Psychology:

A branch of psychology that studies mental processes including perception, memory, and problem-solving, which emerged as a counterpoint to behaviorism by focusing on internal thought processes.