Behaviorism traces its roots to the early part of the 20th century, a time when many psychologists emphasized self-analysis of mental processes (introspection) or the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud. In contrast, researchers like Ivan Pavlov and John B. Watson began to develop a framework which emphasized observable processes (environmental stimuli and behavioral responses). The result was a new approach, behaviorism, which grew in popularity for some fifty years, becoming the dominant framework for experimental research. While its restrictions (including ignoring mental processes) ultimately led many psychologists to turn to other approaches, it is nonetheless still influential today.
The behaviorist theory explains learning as a process involving routines, individualization, clear goals, immediate feedback, and reinforcement. This theory strongly focuses on the observation of external behavior. Some founding fathers of the Behaviorist Theory include Pavlov, Watson.
Pavlov and Watson stressed the importance of a stimuli/response relationship, otherwise known as classical conditioning. Pavlov’s dog experiment is widely known because of its far-reaching implications. He conditioned dogs to salivate just at the sound of a bell even when the food was not present. This meant that the dog “learned” an association between hearing the bell and receiving food.
