Meaning & use
behavioral psychology
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Meanings
noununcountable
The branch of psychology that studies how people and animals learn and change their actions through observation, rewards, and surroundings.
Grammar: Uncountable; used with a singular verb: Behavioral psychology is a science.
Patterns
- in behavioral psychology
- behavioral psychology research
She studied behavioral psychology to understand how habits form.
Behavioral psychology often uses experiments with rewards to shape behavior.
The course covers behavioral psychology and cognitive development.
noununcountabletechnical
A therapeutic approach that uses learning principles to change unwanted behavior, often called behavior therapy.
Grammar: Uncountable; can refer to the applied method as well as the academic subject.
Patterns
- behavioral psychology approach
- use behavioral psychology
The clinic applies behavioral psychology to treat phobias.
Behavioral psychology helped him reduce his anxiety through gradual exposure.
Common combinations
- cognitive behavioral psychology
- Cognitive behavioral psychology combines thoughts and actions in treatment.
- behavioral psychology experiment
- The behavioral psychology experiment tested how pigeons respond to food rewards.
- principles of behavioral psychology
- Teachers sometimes use principles of behavioral psychology in the classroom.
- behavioral psychology perspective
- From a behavioral psychology perspective, only observable actions count as data.
Synonyms and how they differ
- behaviorism
- Behaviorism is the broader theory that psychology should study only observable behavior, while behavioral psychology is the field that applies this view.
- behavior analysis
- Behavior analysis is a more specific scientific approach within behavioral psychology, often focusing on how consequences change behavior.
Word family
- behavioral adjective
- Relating to actions or conduct, as in behavioral problems.
- behaviorist noun
- A person who studies or supports behaviorism.
- psychology noun
- The general study of the mind and behavior.
Commonly confused: behavioral psychology or cognitive psychology?
behavioral psychology vs cognitive psychology
Cognitive psychology focuses on mental processes like memory and thinking, while behavioral psychology focuses on observable actions.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'behavioral psychology' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Behavioral psychology' is an uncountable noun and the name of a field, so it fits as the object of 'studying' in sentence A. Sentence B wrongly uses it as a verb, C treats it as a place, and D uses a plural verb with an uncountable noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “behavioral psychology”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.