behaviorism
studies behavior without reference to mental processes
Behaviorism is a psychological approach that emphasizes the importance of observable behaviors as opposed to inner mental states, such as thoughts or feelings. The behaviorist’s view is that human behavior is the result of environmental factors, such as reinforcement and punishment, rather than innate drives and motives.
Behaviorism originated in the early 20th century and was led by psychologists such as John Watson and B.F. Skinner. Watson believed that behavior could be predicted and controlled through the manipulation of environmental stimuli, while Skinner focused on the role of reinforcement in shaping behavior.
One of the key ideas of behaviorism is operant conditioning, which involves the use of either positive or negative reinforcement to encourage or discourage certain behaviors. Positive reinforcement is the use of rewards, such as praise or a treat, to encourage behavior, while negative reinforcement is the removal of aversive stimuli, such as a loud noise, to encourage behavior. Punishment, on the other hand, involves the use of aversive stimuli, such as yelling or a time-out, to discourage behavior.
Critics of behaviorism argue that it oversimplifies human behavior by reducing it to a series of responses to external stimuli and ignores the role of internal processes such as cognition and emotion. However, behaviorism has influenced many fields, including education, child-rearing, and therapy, and remains an important approach in psychology today.
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