Behaviorism

1. primarily concerned with observable behavior, as opposed to internal events like thinking and emotion.

2. People have no free will – a person’s environment determines their behavior.

3. When born our mind is 'tabula rasa' (a blank slate).

4. Behavior is the result of stimulus – response (i.e. all behavior, no matter how complex, can be reduced to a simple stimulus – response association).

5. 2 Types:

5.1. Involuntary--reflexes, physiological states (e.g. heart rate, often associated with emotions) – Classical conditioning – Stimuli from environment paired with reflex or physiological state to form conditioned physical or emotional responses.

5.2. Voluntary-purposeful activity behavior to get something – Operant conditioning – Behavior changes that are in response to consequences – Skinnerʼs ABCʼs

6. Origins/Purpose of Behaviorism

6.1. Arose in an attempt to make psychology a science, more objective Also referred to as traditional learning theory The focus is on changes in observable behavior