behaviorism

[ bih-heyv-yuh-riz-uhm ]

noun

, Psychology.

1. the theory or doctrine that human or animal psychology can be accurately studied only through the examination and analysis of objectively observable and quantifiable behavioral events, in contrast with subjective mental states.

behaviorism

1. A theory that psychology is essentially a study of external human behavior rather than internal consciousness and desires. ( See B. F. Skinner )

Other Words From

• be·havior·ist noun adjective
• be·havior·istic adjective
• be·havior·isti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of behaviorism¹

First recorded in 1910–15; behavior + -ism

Example Sentences

Skinner and his pigeons, into behaviorism — a school of thought that considered behavior a Rube Goldberg machine of stimulus and response governed by reflex, disregarding interior mental states and emotional response.

From New York Times

From there, “he segues into an introductory psychology course tackling behaviorism, stereotyping and projection. All the material is enthralling.”

From New York Times

Skinner’s long-prevailing theory of behaviorism, human behavior was regarded as the result of conditioning through positive and negative reinforcement.

From Washington Post

Dr. Staats found behaviorism, on its own, inadequate to explain human behavior in all its complexity.

From Washington Post

This was the rationale behind behaviorism, a now-dead theory of psychology that took this trend to a perverse extreme.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• attitude
• medicine
• mindset
• therapy