Behaviorism vs. Cognitive Psychology and Science

This paper will debate whether developments in cognitive psychology and cognitive science have genuinely defeated behaviorism. The discussion will also cover modern uses of behaviorism, as well as evidence to back up any position.
While behaviorism is still alive and well, the intellectual revolution has led to its demise. Many psychologists have abandoned behaviorism in favor of cognitive psychology, the study of interior mental events and consciousness (Aliakbari, Parvin, Heidari, & Haghani, 2015). This branch of psychology employs a technique that examines how information gained through the senses is processed by various regions in the brain. Skinner, for example, agreed with this point of view. He recognized the importance of internal brain events.  As much as he argued that such events could not be employed to analyze behavior, he suggested that the events should be elucidated when evaluating a person’s behavior (Skinner, 1989). Therefore, it could be argued that advances in cognitive psychology and cognitive science have not totally overthrown behaviorism, but have contributed to its decline.

The current use of programmed tutoring, personalized system of teaching, and direct instruction are all evidence that supports the view that behaviorism is still alive. There are notable applications of behaviorism today. For instance, it has been widely applied in nursing and teaching (Aliakbari et al., 2015). This is evident in effective therapeutic practices, such as CBT and rational therapy, which are all embedded in behaviorism. These interventions are normally beneficial in changing negative behavior in children as well as adults. Behaviorism has also been used to develop models and tools for student learning (Aliakbari et al., 2015). These models and tools are suitable for application development, more so, for students whose account of learning should be put into consideration.

In conclusion, advances in cognitive psychology and cognitive science have not totally overthrown behaviorism but have contributed to its decline as supported by different scholars.

































References

Aliakbari, F., Parvin, N., Heidari, M., & Haghani, F. (2015). Learning theories application in nursing education. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 4(2). doi:10.4103/2277-9531.151867

Skinner, B. F. (1989). The origins of cognitive thought. American Psychologist, 44(1), 13-18. doi:10.1037//0003-066x.44.1.13