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behaviorism
[ bih-heyv-yuh-riz-uhm ]
/ bɪˈheɪv yəˌrɪz əm /
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noun Psychology.
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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OTHER WORDS FROM behaviorism
be·hav·ior·ist, noun, adjectivebe·hav·ior·is·tic, adjectivebe·hav·ior·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbWords nearby behaviorism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use behaviorism in a sentence
Even as behaviorism took center stage — Watson wrote a best-selling book on how to raise children based on conditioning principles — some psychologists addressed mental life.
Psychology has struggled for a century to make sense of the mind|Bruce Bower|August 11, 2021|Science NewsHis model emerged in a period when the school of thought dominating psychology was behaviorism, which explicitly rejected analysis of what was going on inside the organism, or the brain, in favor of the study of overt behavior.
The English Professor Who Foresaw Modern Neuroscience - Issue 100: Outsiders|Christopher Comer & Ashley Taggart|May 19, 2021|Nautilus
Cultural definitions for behaviorism
behaviorism
A theory that psychology is essentially a study of external human behavior rather than internal consciousness and desires. (See B. F. Skinner)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
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