behaviorismen

Behaviorismen, known in English as behaviorism, is a psychological framework that emphasizes the study of observable behavior over internal mental states. It emerged in the early 20th century with John B. Watson's methodological behaviorism, which argued that psychology should focus on measurable stimuli and responses. B. F. Skinner later expanded the approach with radical behaviorism, stressing that behavior is shaped by its consequences and that private events are either observable in principle or not causal.

A central idea is that learning occurs through conditioning. Classical conditioning involves pairing a neutral stimulus with a reflex-provoking stimulus until the neutral stimulus elicits the reflex on its own (as shown by Pavlov). Operant conditioning focuses on how behavior is influenced by reinforcements and punishments; reinforcement increases the likelihood of a response, while punishment decreases it. Different reinforcement schedules can affect the rate and durability of learning. Behaviorism distinguishes between methodological behaviorism, which studies only observable behavior, and radical behaviorism, which extends the analysis to include all events that can be publicly verified.

Methodologically, behaviorism favors controlled experiments, often with animal subjects, to identify consistent stimulus–response relationships. It characterizes the mind as a “black box” whose internal processes are not essential to understanding behavior. Applications of behaviorism have included education, behavior modification, token economies, and applied behavior analysis (ABA) for autism, as well as practical training in animals and insights for advertising.

Critics argue that behaviorism neglects cognition, emotion, and biological factors. While the cognitive revolution reduced its dominance, behaviorist methods and findings continue to influence psychology, education, and therapy, often in integrated forms that treat learning as a product of both environmental contingencies and mental processes.