Posted: May 2nd, 2023

The Rise of Behaviorism

The Rise of Behaviorism. Why do you think it was important for psychology to move away from structuralism? Is there value in structuralism that we have lost? What are the pros and cons of behaviorism? How do Watson and Skinner differ in their approach to behaviorism?

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Behaviorism emerged as a response to the limitations of structuralism, which emphasized the importance of introspection and subjective experience in the study of psychology. Behaviorism sought to shift the focus of psychology to observable behaviors and external stimuli, rather than internal mental processes. This was important because it allowed psychology to become a more objective and scientific discipline, with a greater emphasis on empirical evidence and experimentation.

While there is value in the structuralist approach, particularly in its emphasis on individual differences and subjective experience, it had its limitations. Structuralism relied heavily on introspection, which was subjective and difficult to measure, leading to a lack of consistency and reproducibility in research findings.

Behaviorism has its pros and cons. One advantage is its focus on observable behavior, which makes it easier to measure and test hypotheses. Behaviorism also helped to establish the principles of learning, such as classical and operant conditioning, which have been useful in fields beyond psychology, such as education and training.

However, behaviorism has also been criticized for its narrow focus on observable behavior at the expense of mental processes and subjective experience. Behaviorism also did not account for the complexity of human behavior, such as motivation, emotion, and cognition.

John B. Watson is considered the founder of behaviorism and believed that behavior could be explained through the principles of classical conditioning. He rejected the use of introspection and argued that psychology should only study observable behavior. B.F. Skinner, on the other hand, expanded on Watson’s ideas by emphasizing the role of operant conditioning in shaping behavior. Skinner believed that behavior was shaped by its consequences and that individuals learn through reinforcement and punishment.

While both Watson and Skinner shared a focus on observable behavior, Skinner’s approach emphasized the role of the environment in shaping behavior, while Watson’s approach was more deterministic, arguing that behavior was entirely the result of environmental factors and genetics. Additionally, Skinner’s work focused more on the role of positive reinforcement, while Watson’s work focused more on the role of classical conditioning in shaping behavior.

References
Leahey, T. H. (2018). A history of modern psychology (5th ed.). Routledge.

Cherry, K. (2022, February 28). What is behaviorism? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-behaviorism-2794852

Goodwin, C. J. (2019). Research in psychology: Methods and design (8th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

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