behaviorism

American  

[bih-heyv-yuh-riz-uhm] / bɪˈheɪv yəˌrɪz əm /

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.

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behaviorism Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

• behaviorist
  noun
• behavioristic
  adjective
• behavioristically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of behaviorism

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 • Mar. 26, 2024

Social cooling, coined by Tijmen Schep, is behaviorism 101.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2022

Dr. Staats may not have been a household name, at least not beyond the professional circles where he was known for developing a field of study called psychological behaviorism.

From Washington Post • Jun. 4, 2021

I reiterated my why-Freud-isn’t-dead argument: yes, psychoanalysis is profoundly flawed, but so are all other paradigms for explaining and treating the mind, from behaviorism to psychopharmacology.

From Scientific American • Jun. 16, 2019

Much of the focus in psychology at the time was around behaviorism.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• attitude
• medicine
• mindset
• therapy