Behaviorism and Its Impact on Psychology
Behaviorism changed how people think about the mind and body. Instead of focusing on what's going on inside our heads, it looked at our actions. Here are some key ideas:
Focus on Actions: Behaviorists, like B.F. Skinner, believed that psychology should study only what we can see—our behavior. They thought it wasn’t useful to think about what’s happening in the mind since we can’t observe it.
Rejection of Dualism: In the past, many believed that the mind and body were two separate things, known as dualism. Behaviorists disagreed. They said mental feelings and thoughts don’t matter when we try to understand why we act the way we do.
Strong Influence: By the mid-1900s, about 40% of psychologists considered themselves behaviorists. This shows just how much behaviorism influenced the field of psychology.
In short, behaviorism made us look closely at what people do instead of trying to guess what’s happening in their minds.
Behaviorism and Its Impact on Psychology
Behaviorism changed how people think about the mind and body. Instead of focusing on what's going on inside our heads, it looked at our actions. Here are some key ideas:
Focus on Actions: Behaviorists, like B.F. Skinner, believed that psychology should study only what we can see—our behavior. They thought it wasn’t useful to think about what’s happening in the mind since we can’t observe it.
Rejection of Dualism: In the past, many believed that the mind and body were two separate things, known as dualism. Behaviorists disagreed. They said mental feelings and thoughts don’t matter when we try to understand why we act the way we do.
Strong Influence: By the mid-1900s, about 40% of psychologists considered themselves behaviorists. This shows just how much behaviorism influenced the field of psychology.
In short, behaviorism made us look closely at what people do instead of trying to guess what’s happening in their minds.