Meaning & use
behaviorism psychology
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountabletechnical
The branch of psychology that studies only observable behavior, not thoughts or feelings.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun: say 'behaviorism psychology focuses on...', not 'a behaviorism psychology'.
Patterns
- behaviorism psychology focuses on something
- the behaviorism psychology approach
- in behaviorism psychology
Behaviorism psychology dominated American research in the early twentieth century.
In behaviorism psychology, only what can be seen and measured counts as evidence.
Students often compare behaviorism psychology with cognitive approaches.
noununcountabletechnical
The theory that behavior is learned through conditioning and can be changed by rewards and punishments.
Grammar: Refers to the theory itself; often followed by 'says that' or 'holds that'.
Patterns
- behaviorism psychology holds that ...
- according to behaviorism psychology
- the principles of behaviorism psychology
Behaviorism psychology holds that habits form when actions are rewarded.
Teachers influenced by behaviorism psychology use praise to shape classroom behavior.
Critics say behaviorism psychology ignores inner mental states.
Common combinations
- behaviorism psychology approach
- The behaviorism psychology approach treats learning as a change in observable actions.
- classical behaviorism psychology
- Classical behaviorism psychology grew out of Pavlov's experiments with dogs.
- behaviorism psychology theory
- His lecture outlined the main behaviorism psychology theory of the 1920s.
- study behaviorism psychology
- She chose to study behaviorism psychology for her master's degree.
- behaviorism psychology experiment
- The behaviorism psychology experiment measured how often the rats pressed the lever.
Synonyms and how they differ
- behaviorism
- The shorter and far more common term; 'behaviorism psychology' is used mainly when you need to name the field explicitly.
- behavioral psychology
- A close equivalent, but it can also cover applied work such as therapy, not just the strict theory.
- behavioral science
- Broader: it includes sociology and anthropology as well as psychology.
Word family
- behaviorist noun
- A person who follows or practices this approach.
- behavioristic adjective
- Describing ideas or methods that follow this approach.
- behavioral adjective
- Relating to behavior, used in many psychology contexts.
- behavior noun
- The actions and reactions that this field studies.
Commonly confused: behaviorism psychology or behavioralism? behaviorism psychology or cognitive psychology?
behaviorism psychology vs behavioralism
A different term used in political science for studying observable political behavior; it is not the same as the psychology theory.
behaviorism psychology vs cognitive psychology
The opposite emphasis: it studies thinking, memory and mental processes rather than only visible behavior.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'behaviorism psychology' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Behaviorism psychology' is an uncountable noun naming a field, so it works as the subject of a statement about its claims. The other options treat it as a countable object, a comparative adjective, or a verb, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “behaviorism psychology”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.