Key Takeaways
- Behaviorism is a theory that suggests behaviors are learned through conditioning.
- Classical conditioning involves creating associations between a neutral stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus.
- Operant conditioning uses rewards and punishments to influence behavior.
Behaviorism is a psychological theory that behavior is something learned through interaction with the environment. According to behaviorism, actions are shaped by conditioning, particularly through associations, rewards, and punishments, rather than by thoughts or emotions.
Behavioral psychology focuses on observable behavior and argues that it can be studied objectively and scientifically. From a strict behaviorist perspective, internal mental states are not necessary for understanding behavior. Instead, learning occurs through environmental stimuli, and with the right conditioning, people can be trained to develop specific behaviors within their physical limits.
Verywell / Jiaqi Zhou
Where Did Behaviorism Come From?
Behaviorism emerged as a formal school of thought in 1913 with the publication of John B. Watson’s classic paper, “Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It.” In this paper, Watson argued that psychology should focus only on observable behaviors and not internal mental states.
As Watson, who is often considered the father of behaviorism, explained:
“Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select—doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.”
Simply put, strict behaviorists believe that all behaviors are the result of experience. Any person, regardless of their background, can be trained to act in a particular manner given the right conditioning.
To further contextualize the quote, Watson went on to note that this was a bit of an exaggeration on his part. “I am going beyond my facts and I admit it, but so have the advocates of the contrary, and they have been doing it for many thousands of years,” he wrote.
From about 1920 through the mid-1950s, behaviorism became the dominant school of thought in psychology. Some suggest that the popularity of behavioral psychology grew out of the desire to establish psychology as an objective and measurable science.
During that time, researchers were interested in creating theories that could be clearly described and empirically measured, but also used to make contributions that might have an influence on the fabric of everyday human lives.
Different Types of Behaviorism
There are two main types of behaviorism used to describe how behavior is formed: methodological behaviorism and radical behaviorism. The two approaches differ in their underlying assumptions about the causes of behavior. They also differ in how they view the role of internal processes in shaping human behavior.
- Methodological behaviorism states that observable behavior should be studied scientifically and that mental states and cognitive processes don’t add to the understanding of behavior. Methodological behaviorism aligns with Watson’s ideologies and approach.
- Radical behaviorism is rooted in the theory that behavior can be understood by examining one’s past and present environments and the reinforcements within them, thereby influencing behavior either positively or negatively. This behavioral approach was created by the psychologist B.F. Skinner.
What Is Classical Conditioning?
Classical conditioning is a technique frequently used in behavioral training. In it, a neutral stimulus is paired with a naturally occurring stimulus. Eventually, the neutral stimulus elicits the same response as the naturally occurring stimulus, even when the naturally occurring stimulus is absent.
Throughout the course of three distinct phases of classical conditioning, the associated stimulus becomes known as the conditioned stimulus, and the learned behavior is known as the conditioned response.
Learning Through Association
Classical conditioning works by establishing an association between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus.
In physiologist Ivan Pavlov’s classic experiments, dogs associated the presentation of food (something that naturally and automatically triggers a salivation response) at first with the sound of a bell, then with the sight of a lab assistant’s white coat. Eventually, the lab coat alone elicited salivation in the dogs.
Factors That Impact Conditioning
During the first part of the classical conditioning process, known as acquisition, a response is established and strengthened. Factors such as stimulus prominence and presentation timing can play an important role in how quickly an association forms.
When an association disappears, this is known as extinction. It causes the behavior to weaken gradually or vanish. Factors such as the strength of the original response can influence the rate of extinction. The longer a response has been conditioned, for example, the longer it may take for it to become extinct.
What Is Operant Conditioning?
Operant conditioning, also known as instrumental conditioning, is a form of learning that occurs through reinforcement and punishment. Through operant conditioning, an association is established between a behavior and its consequence.
This behavioral approach states that when a desirable result follows an action, the behavior is more likely to occur again in the future. Conversely, responses followed by adverse outcomes are less likely to recur.
Consequences Affect Learning
Behaviorist B.F. Skinner described operant conditioning as the process by which learning occurs through reinforcement and punishment. More specifically, by forming an association between a certain behavior and the consequences of that behavior, you learn.
For example, if a parent rewards their child with praise every time they pick up their toys, the desired behavior is consistently reinforced, making the child more likely to clean up messes.
Timing Plays a Role
The process of operant conditioning seems fairly straightforward—simply observe a behavior, then offer a reward or punishment. However, Skinner discovered that the timing of these rewards and punishments has an important influence on how quickly a new behavior is acquired and the strength of the corresponding response.
This underscores the importance of reinforcement schedules in operant conditioning. These can involve either continuous or partial reinforcement.
- Continuous reinforcement involves rewarding every single instance of a behavior. It is often used at the beginning of the operant conditioning process. Then, as the behavior is learned, the schedule might switch to one of partial reinforcement.
- Partial reinforcement involves offering a reward after a number of responses or after a period of time has elapsed. Sometimes, partial reinforcement occurs on a consistent or fixed schedule. In other instances, a variable and unpredictable number of responses or amount of time must occur before the reinforcement is delivered.
How Behaviorism Is Used Today
The behaviorist perspective has a wide range of applications. It extends beyond research theory to fields such as education and mental health.
Because it focuses on observable behavior and measurable outcomes, it has been used to shape classroom techniques, therapeutic interventions, and the study of human and animal learning.
- Education: Behaviorism can be used to help students learn, for example, by shaping lesson design. Some teachers use consistent encouragement to help students learn (operant conditioning) while others focus more on creating a stimulating environment to increase engagement (classical conditioning).
- Research: One of the greatest strengths of behavioral psychology is the ability to clearly observe and measure behaviors. Because behaviorism is based on observable behaviors, it is often easier to quantify and collect data when conducting research.
- Mental health: Behavioral therapy was born from behaviorism and originally used in the treatment of autism and schizophrenia. This type of therapy involves helping people change problematic thoughts and behaviors, thereby improving mental health.
Effective therapeutic techniques such as intensive behavioral intervention, behavior analysis, token economies, and discrete trial training are all rooted in behaviorism. These approaches are often very useful in changing maladaptive or harmful behaviors in both children and adults.
Why Behaviorism Still Matters
Several thinkers influenced behavioral psychology. Among these are Edward Thorndike, a pioneering psychologist who described the law of effect, and Clark Hull, who proposed the drive theory of learning.
Many therapeutic techniques are based on behavioral psychology. Although behaviorism became less dominant after the 1950s, its ideas continue to influence modern therapy.
For example, behavior analysis is often used as a therapeutic technique to help children with autism and developmental delays acquire new skills. It frequently involves processes such as:
- Shaping (rewarding closer approximations to the desired behavior)
- Chaining (breaking a task into smaller parts, then teaching and chaining the subsequent steps)
This approach has also been criticized for being dehumanizing and not neurodiversity-affirming.
Common Criticisms
Many critics argue that behaviorism is a one-dimensional approach to understanding human behavior. They suggest that behavioral theories do not account for free will or internal influences such as moods, thoughts, and feelings.
- Freud, for example, felt that behaviorism failed because it did not account for the unconscious mind’s thoughts, feelings, and desires, which influence people’s actions.
- Other thinkers, such as Carl Rogers and other humanistic psychologists, believed that behaviorism was too rigid and limited, failing to consider personal agency.
- More recently, biological psychology has emphasized the role the brain and genetics play in determining and influencing human actions.
- The cognitive approach to psychology focuses on mental processes such as thinking, decision-making, language, and problem-solving. Behaviorism neglects these processes and influences in favor of studying only observable behaviors.
Behavioral psychology also leaves out some important types of learning, especially learning that happens without rewards or punishments. People and animals can also change their behavior when they encounter new information, even if those behaviors were originally shaped through reinforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded behaviorism?
John B. Watson is known as the founder of behaviorism. Though others had similar ideas in the early 1900s, when behavioral theory began, some suggest that Watson is credited as behavioral psychology’s founder due to being “an attractive, strong, scientifically accomplished, and forceful speaker and an engaging writer” who was willing to share this behavioral approach when other psychologists were less likely to speak up.
How is behaviorism used in education?
Behaviorism can be used to help elicit positive behaviors or responses in students, such as by using reinforcement. Teachers with a behavioral approach often use “skill and drill” exercises to reinforce correct responses through consistent repetition, for instance.
Other ways reinforcement-based behaviorism can be used in education include praising students for getting the right answer and providing prizes for those who do well. Using tests to measure performance enables teachers to measure observable behaviors and is, therefore, another behavioral approach.
What makes behaviorism different from psychoanalysis?
Behaviorism says that behavior is a result of environment, the environment being an external stimulus. Psychoanalysis is the opposite of this, in that it is rooted in the belief that behavior is a result of an internal stimulus. Psychoanalytic theory is based on behaviors being motivated by one’s unconscious mind, thus resulting in actions that are consistent with their unknown wishes and desires.
What is cognitive behaviorism?
Whereas strict behaviorism has no room for cognitive influences, cognitive behaviorism operates on the assumption that behavior is impacted by thoughts and emotions. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), for instance, attempts to change negative behaviors by changing the destructive thought patterns behind them.
