An American school of psychology founded by John Broadus Watson early in the 20th century. He argued that, because behaviour, rather than experience, was all that could be observed in others, it should constitute the sole basis of psychology.
BEHÇET’S
n. an approach to psychology postulating that only observable behaviour need be studied, thus denying any importance to unconscious processes. Behaviourists are concerned with the laws regulating the occurrence of behaviour (see conditioning). —behaviourist n.
the use of the methods of behaviourist psychology (see behaviourism) – especially operant *conditioning – to alter people’s behaviour. Behaviour modification has wider applications than *behaviour therapy, since it is also used in situations in which the client is not ill; for example, in education. See also chaining; prompting.... behaviour modification
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