As the pioneer and founder of the behaviorist paradigm, J.B. Watson defined psychology as the science of_____________?
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Answer: D. Behaviour
Explanation
J.B. Watson argued that mentalistic concepts were unscientific, defining psychology strictly as the study of behavior. He believed that only overt actions could be objectively measured and verified by independent scientific observers. Behaviorism rejected introspection, focusing entirely on stimulus-response relationships observable in laboratory subjects. John B. Watson published the famous behaviorist manifesto in nineteen thirteen, shifting American psychology's direction. Early functionalism and structuralism had previously focused heavily on conscious mental states and internal experiences. Empiricism strongly influenced early behaviorists to demand rigorous objectivity and observable data in experiments.
Modern behavioral therapy and animal training practices trace their historical roots back to Watson's definitions. Defining psychology as the science of behavior allowed researchers to conduct highly controlled laboratory experiments. Public education and parenting advice during the mid-twentieth century were heavily influenced by behaviorist doctrines. Soul is a theological or philosophical concept rather than an empirical subject studied by modern scientific psychology. Consciousness was rejected by early behaviorists because internal mental experiences cannot be directly measured. Mind was viewed as an unobservable black box that fell outside the rigorous boundaries of strict behaviorism.
- Subject
- Psychology
- Category
- Psychology
- Topic
- —
- Difficulty
- medium
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