PHI 101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 21: Causal Chain, Behaviorism, Determinism
13 Jan 2017
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Chapter 21: Methodological Behaviorism
1. The Negative Thesis: Psychology Should Avoid Belief/Desire Explanations
a. Skinner said that beliefs and desires aren’t observable
i. We can only observe the behavior of others, not what goes on in their
minds
ii. Just because beliefs and desires cannot be observed does not mean that
claims about an individual’s beliefs and desires can be tested by observing
behaviors.
b. Mentalistic theories are too easy
i. You can always formulate a belief or desire that is consistent with what
you observe
2. Methodological Behaviorism’s Positive Thesis
a. Behavior can be explained without describing the inner states of the organism
i. Causal chain linking environmental stimuli to behavior has the following
structure
1. The past environments I’ve occupied and the behaviors I produced
in them and my present environment
2. For example
a. (1) If the light is on, then the chicken pecks
b. (2) The light is on now
c. C) Hence, the chicken now pecks.
ii. Each of our behaviors can be explained by describing our history of
stimulus conditioning
3. First objection to Behaviorism’s Positive Thesis: Novel Behaviors
a. How can you explain behaviors such as handing over your wallet when you are
being mugged if you have never been mugged before?
i. There are no physical similarities between this threat and other previous
threats you have faced
4. Second Objection to Behaviorism’s Positive Thesis: It Assumes that Environmental
Determinism Is True
a. When it comes to the nature/nurture debate, behaviorists are on the side of the
environment
b. Sometimes there are genetic differences in behavior
i. A chicken cannot learn English even if it is in the same environment as a
person
5. The Two objections summarized
a. Robbery example
i. When you are asked how your present behavior in a robbery of handing
over the money is explained by your previous experiences, it seems
essential to describe your beliefs and desires
ii. There is no purely physical similarity between the present holdup and your
previous environments that provides an explanation
iii. The similarity exists only because you conceptualize the present situation
in a way that resembles the way you conceptualize previous situations
b. Idea of genetic causes of behavior
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