AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Behaviorism is defined as: “The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes.

Detailed explanation-2: -One of the most influential schools of thought within psychology’s history was behaviorism. Behaviorism focused on making psychology an objective science by studying overt behavior and deemphasizing the importance of unobservable mental processes.

Detailed explanation-3: -Like Watson, Skinner believed that psychology should restrict itself to studying outwardly observable behaviors that could be measured and verified. In compelling experimental demonstrations, Skinner systematically used reinforcement or punishment to shape the behavior of rats and pigeons.

Detailed explanation-4: -Positivists believe that sociology should follow the objective experimental methods that the natural sciences follow so that the research remains value free and patterns and causation can be established.