The 10 types of behaviorism: history, theories and differences

Throughout the history of psychology, numerous currents of thought and schools have been born, each one of which interpret the human mind and mental and behavioral processes in a way concrete.

One of these currents focused on what they considered the only directly observable correlate of the psyche, the behavior, ignoring what they could not measure and trying to make psychology a science as scientific and objective as possible. It's about behaviorism.

But there are different types of behaviorism. And it is that despite being part of the same paradigm, various authors have established their own vision in this regard, considering different approaches, methods and objectives. This article presents some of the different theoretical developments that the behaviorist current has given.

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The behaviorist paradigm

Behaviorism is one of the main theoretical currents of psychology. Born at a time in history when the psychodynamic current predominated, behaviorism opposed and differed greatly from its conception.

Behaviorism focuses on trying to offer as scientific and objective an explanation as possible of the psychic phenomena and human behavior, ignoring all information that cannot be observed directly. He proposes that the only clearly observable aspect of the psyche is behavior, this being the only element with which it is possible to work scientifically.

It does not deny aspects such as mental processes, but considers them secondary, a black box impossible to study. Behaviorism is a paradigm of environmental orientation, the behavior being determined by environmental phenomena. Specifically, it is explained from the association between stimuli, which provoke a response. If we have a neutral stimulus that is associated with an appetitive or aversive one, the response to the first it will end up being the same as the second due to the fact that the link between the two is generated stimuli. Responses are conditioned, this aspect being one of the most important for the behaviorist paradigm.

Types of behaviorism

Since the birth of behaviorism, there have been many advances that have been made and various authors who have worked from it, offering different perspectives and subtypes of behaviorism. Here we briefly present some of the most relevant.

1. Classic Watson behaviorism

Classical behaviorism is formulated by John B. Watson, influenced among other aspects by the work of Pavlov Y Thorndike. In this type of behaviorism, studies focus on the link between stimuli and responses, being especially important in the treatment of phobias.

He considers that the mind is not observable or analyzable, but a black box that does not take into account (and in some cases its existence or real importance was denied) and behavior being the only thing that can be analyzed in a objective. What determines behavior is the environment and stimuli: for classical behaviorism the subject is a passive and reactive being, acting through the learning of associations.

2. Radical Skinner behaviorism

Another type of behaviorism and one of the most important and recognized along with that of Watson is radical behaviorism of B. F. Skinner. This author considered that behavior could not be understood solely through simple conditioning processes, despite the fact that the organism acts to adapt to good and bad. Skinner proposed that the explanation of behavior was more linked to the perception of the consequences of our actions.

We learn that taking a certain action in a certain context has pleasant consequences or unpleasant, based on which we modify our behavior by repeating or inhibiting said Actions. Skinner called this mode of behavior modification operant conditioning. He also highlights learning by trial and error.

3. Interbehaviorism or Kantor's field behaviorism

Similar to radical behaviorism, it differs from it in that it considers behavior as an interaction rather than interpreting it as a simple response. The behavior allows the subject and the environment to be related and are interdependent, this interaction being what must be studied.

4. Tolman's intentional or propositional behaviorism

Edward C. Tolman establishes another type of behaviorism, on this occasion proposing that all behavior is composed of actions that end up directing the individual towards a goal.

The behavior is purposeful and not a learned sequence. He also proposes that we establish cognitive maps in order to achieve these objectives, and we use them as a learning mechanism. In this type of behaviorism, elements that take into account mental processes, such as intentionality, begin to be seen. In fact, some consider him the first cognitivist.

5. Hull's deductive behaviorism

Clark L. Hull proposes a functional vision of behavior: behavior and learning are understood as a way to survive the environment. This is explained from the formation of habits from which to satisfy or reduce impulses. The subject begins to have an increasingly active role.

6. Rachlin's teleological behaviorism

This branch of behaviorism establishes behavior as something purposeful, directed to an end, and carried out over time. Howard Rachlin believes that the mind is the body's way of functioning, not something internal, and ideas an elaborate behavior over time. He highlights the idea of ​​the time frame of an event: its past, present and future. He also considers that the behavior occurs before the reinforced, observing that the effect occurs before the cause (the behavior is the effect of the desire to eat).

7. Staddon's theoretical behaviorism

Theoretical behaviorism is a type of behaviorism in which behavior is conceived as an action derived from environmental variables and also of the biological ones. He does not consider cognitive processes as behavior, but as a theoretical mechanism whose only function is to manage states that link behavior and environment. It is a more cognitivist and biologistic approach than most variants of behaviorism.

8. Staats psychological behaviorism

This type of behaviorism stands out for presenting the concept of basic behavioral repertoires, which are developed throughout learning and development in a cumulative manner. Also representative is the fact that he gives importance to emotional factors in behavior and learning.

9. Timberlake biological behaviorism

This type of behaviorism stands out for its search for explanations of behavior and learning from an ecological vision of them. For William Timberlake, the behavior is linked to the context in which the subject develops, and has a biological origin that predisposes us to feel and act in a certain way.

10. Hayes functional contextualism

This author focuses his perspective on verbal behavior: that is, on language. This serves as an intermediate element between behavior and environment. Steven Hayes also proposes the need to investigate mental phenomena if behavior is to be understood. He also works on aspects such as the influence of the rules on behavior.

Other types of behaviorism and effect on other currents

The aforementioned are some of the main types of behaviorism that have been developed over time. But there are many others, such as Bijou's empirical behaviorism, or philosophical, emergent or systemic behaviorism.

In addition to this, we must bear in mind that the evolution of behaviorism and the overcoming of its limitations They have allowed the emergence of many other theoretical models such as cognitivism and constructivism.