Behaviorism

Behaviorism is a school of Psychology which states that behavior is a product of environmental conditioning through reinforcements (rewards) and punishments. The conditioned response, or the behavioral product, is considered the smallest unit of behavior. According to behaviorists, the conditioned response interlinks with other conditioned responses to form complex behavior patterns that make up a personality. Behaviorists approach the study of behavior using Stimulus-Response (S-R) Psychology, in which they analyze behavior in terms stimuli and responses.

Behaviorism was developed by John B. Watson in the early 20th century, in response to the limitation of the early scientific approaches to Psychology (i.e., Introspection, Structuralism, and Functionalism). With behaviorism, the focus of Psychology shifted from private conscious experiences to overt subconscious experiences. It was adapted from Ivan Pavlov's research on classical conditioning.

Behaviorism was the most popular among the 3 schools of Psychology. (The others were Gestalt Psychology and Psychoanalysis.) But its popularity diminished in World War 2, when psychological research focused on the use of sophisticated technological equipment.