Meaning & use
behaviorist
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person who studies or supports the theory that behavior is learned through rewards, punishments, and environment.
Grammar: Countable: a behaviorist, two behaviorists.
Patterns
- a behaviorist believes something
- behaviorist approach
The behaviorist argued that habits are shaped by rewards.
As a behaviorist, she focuses on what people do, not what they feel.
Many teachers follow behaviorist ideas in classroom management.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Relating to the belief that behavior is learned through conditioning rather than inner thoughts.
Grammar: Used before a noun: behaviorist theory, behaviorist psychology.
Patterns
- behaviorist theory
- behaviorist approach
The behaviorist view dominated psychology for decades.
His behaviorist approach ignores emotions.
Word forms
| plural | behaviorists |
|---|
Common combinations
- behaviorist theory
- Behaviorist theory explains learning through stimulus and response.
- behaviorist approach
- The therapist used a behaviorist approach to reduce the fear.
- behaviorist psychologist
- B.F. Skinner was a famous behaviorist psychologist.
Synonyms and how they differ
- behavioral scientist
- Broader; includes many approaches, not just behaviorism.
Word family
- behaviorism noun
- The theory itself.
- behavioristic adjective
- Another adjective form, more formal.
Commonly confused: behaviorist or behavioral?
behaviorist vs behavioral
Behavioral means 'relating to behavior'; behaviorist means 'relating to behaviorism' or a supporter of it.
Practice
A behaviorist is most likely to explain a child's tantrum as:
Choose one answer.
Behaviorists focus on observable learning through rewards and punishments, not unconscious drives or biology.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “behaviorist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.