ABSTRACT
Behaviorist learning theory focuses on that which is observable: how people behave and especially how to change or elicit particular behaviors. In the early 20th century, behaviorism introduced a theory of learning that was empirical, observable and measurable. This earliest theory of learning emphasized overt action: that which was most easily apparent and accessible for study, behavior. The term “overt action” means behavior and behaviorists studied how we act and what impacts upon and changes how we act. Based on clinical experiments with animals, behaviorist thinkers discovered that a response to certain stimuli would be repeated, and could be observed, controlled and quantified. Behaviorist theory could not account for subjectivity and, given its historical context, it would not. The early rise of scientific theory was set in the context of positivism. To be considered a “science,” behaviorism had to adhere to rigid positivist principles, which were based upon rigorous “objectivity” and ignored or dismissed “subjectivity” and anything to do with introspection or mental states (called mentalism at the time). To be considered scientific, research must employ the experimental method, which involves manipulating one variable to determine if changes in one variable cause changes in another variable. This method relies on controlled methods, random assignment and the manipulation of variables to test a hypothesis.
