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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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
OTHER WORDS FROM behaviorism
be·hav·ior·ist, noun, adjectivebe·hav·ior·is·tic, adjectivebe·hav·ior·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use behaviorism in a sentence
Still, though a behaviorist, he upheld certain instinctual motivation theories.
Strange Alliance|Bryce WaltonThe behaviorist would not seriously undertake to record everything that happens between stimulus and response.
Creative Intelligence|John Dewey, Addison W. Moore, Harold Chapman Brown, George H. Mead, Boyd H. Bode, Henry Waldgrave, Stuart James, Hayden Tufts, Horace M. KallenNo behaviorist can possibly show that the air waves set in motion by my vocalization were an indispensable stimulus.
Creative Intelligence|John Dewey, Addison W. Moore, Harold Chapman Brown, George H. Mead, Boyd H. Bode, Henry Waldgrave, Stuart James, Hayden Tufts, Horace M. Kallen
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
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.