Behavioral psychology, or behaviorism, is a theory suggesting that environment shapes human behavior. In a most basic sense, behavioral psychology is the study and analysis of observable behavior. Show This field of psychology influenced thought heavily throughout the middle of the 20th century. It is still used by mental health professionals today, as its concepts and theories remain relevant in fields like psychotherapy and education. A Brief HistoryPsychologist John B. Watson started behavioral psychology by building off the work of Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov. In what’s known as classical conditioning, Pavlov found that certain objects or events could trigger a response. His famous experiments with dogs demonstrated that the presence of a bowl of dog food (stimulus) would trigger an unconditioned response (salivation). If Pavlov could pair a stimulus to obtain a new conditioned response, those implications in learning could be applied to other facets of human behavior. For instance, perhaps conditioning and environment could understand how and why people learn, act and think. The earliest believed conditioning explained all learning and behavioral responses. That view refers to strict or radical behaviorism, which is now largely rejected.
In addition to Watson, other psychologists helped shape behavioral psychology into what it is today. Edward Thorndike introduced the law of effect, which refers to how satisfying responses are more likely to occur again in the future. He was the first to integrate that and other scientific principles into learning theory. Another thinker in behavioral psychology, Clark Hull, pioneered drive theory. As organisms suffer deprivation, it creates certain needs in drives in people that directly impact behavior. Techniques from Behavioral PsychologySeveral concepts in behaviorism are utilized in therapy.
Working in Behavioral PsychologyThere are several opportunities for integrating behavioral psychology into practice. For instance, many psychologists research topics like conditioning to examine the nature of human behavior. Often, they are able to apply findings to mental health disorders. Behavioral psychology has had a major impact in clinical applications. For instance, mental health counselors, substance abuse counselors, and other professionals use therapeutic techniques from behaviorism to help people overcome specific issues. Even newer fields, like applied behavior analysis, have emerged by adapting concepts from behavioral psychology. The foundation to all those careers is an undergraduate degree in psychology. You can start your journey to becoming a psychologist, mental health counselor, applied behavior analyst and more with an online bachelor’s in psychology from Rivier University. Gain the knowledge and skills needed to open up several career paths upon graduation. Study in a fully online learning environment, which allows you to complete your education and maintain your current work and personal schedule. Multiple term starts, a generous transfer credit policy, and competitive tuition rates are all designed to help you start, and finish, faster. Rivier University has been educating students to transform the world for more than 80 years, so you can trust you will receive a high-quality education in a format designed to help you succeed. What is the psychological approach to behavior?Behaviorist Approach. Behaviorism, also known as behavioral psychology, is a theory of learning which states all behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment through a process called conditioning. Thus, behavior is simply a response to environmental stimuli.
What are the 4 approaches to psychology?These are biological, psychodynamic, behavioural, cognitive and humanistic. Each approach attempts to explain human behaviour differently.
What are the 3 approaches to psychology?Explanation of approaches in psychology, including behaviorism, cognitive and psychodynamic approaches, and biological approaches. Psychologists take different approaches, or perspectives, when attempting to understand human behavior.
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