Overview & Description: Behaviorism, often regarded as a foundational theory in psychology, argues that behavior is a result of environmental stimuli. It discounts internal processes like cognition, emotion, or motives, focusing solely on observable behavior. There are two main types of conditioning:

1. Classical Conditioning (Pavlovian Conditioning): This involves associating a previously neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a response. For instance, Ivan Pavlov’s dogs were conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell.
2. Operant Conditioning: This focuses on using reinforcement or punishment to strengthen or weaken behavior. B.F. Skinner was the main proponent of this theory, introducing concepts like the Skinner Box.

Principles of Behaviorism:

• Reinforcement (Positive and Negative): Encourages a behavior to happen again.
• Punishment: Discourages a behavior from happening again.
• Extinction: When reinforcement stops, so does the behavior.

Implications:

• Education: Many teaching strategies are based on reinforcement principles. For instance, positive reinforcement (like praise) can encourage students.
• Parenting: Understanding reinforcement and punishment can be critical in child-rearing, shaping desired behaviors.
• Therapy: Behaviorist strategies are used in therapies to modify harmful or undesired behaviors, such as in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

References

Watson, J. B. (1913). Psychology as the behaviorist views it. Psychological Review, 20(2), 158-177.

Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York: Macmillan.