behaviorist

Meaning: A behaviorist explains behavior as learned from the environment and treats only observable behavior as the proper subject of psychology. Inner mental states are set aside as not directly measurable. Classical conditioning (Pavlov) links stimuli by association. Operant conditioning (Skinner) shapes behavior through reinforcement and punishment. Watson founded the approach in the early twentieth century.

On the MCAT: Passages describe a behavior, such as a phobia or a habit, and ask which perspective explains it. The behaviorist answer cites conditioned stimuli, reinforcement or punishment. You may be asked to predict whether a behavior becomes more or less frequent after a consequence: reinforcement increases it, and punishment decreases it. The usual alternatives are the cognitive, psychodynamic and biological perspectives, so match the explanation to the right one.

Common confusion: Bandura's observational learning and Tolman's latent learning are often grouped with cognitive accounts because they involve mental representation, so they are not strictly behaviorist. The fact that settles it is that a behaviorist explanation uses only observable stimuli, responses and consequences. Also, negative reinforcement is not punishment. It removes an aversive stimulus and increases the behavior.