PHLA10H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 21: Operant Conditioning Chamber, Causal Chain, Behaviorism
Document Summary
Methodological behaviorism is a recommendaion for how the science of psychology ought to be pursued. It accepts the idea that our commonsense mentalisic vocabulary refers to inner states. Therefore it argues that a scieniic psychology should avoid talking about belief and desires precisely because they are inner state. The negaive thesis: psychology should avoid belief/desire explanaions. All we can directly observe is the behaviors of others, not what goes in their minds. Claims about what is not observed can be tested by examining what they imply about what can be observed. Mentalisic theories is that they are too easy. Claims can be modiied so that the assumpion won"t be abandoned. Skinner believes that he claims of science must be testable by observaion. The speciic atribuions of belief/desire are testable against the data of behavior but the mentalisic thesis does not seem to be testable. Mentalisic thesis does not deserve to be part of a scieniic psychology.
