According to Watson, what should psychologists focus on when employing a stimulus-response methodology?

According to Watson, what should psychologists focus on when employing a stimulus-response methodology?

• A. Emotional responses
• B. Thought processes
• C. Behavior
• D. Visual perception

Answer: (C)

Watson proposed that psychology should concentrate on observable behaviors rather than internal mental states, making behavior the focal point of the stimulus-response methodology. His perspective emphasized that psychology needed to be a natural science, akin to biology or chemistry, which meant it ought to study quantifiable, observable phenomena. By prioritizing behavior, Watson believed that psychologists could apply scientific methods to analyze and predict behavioral responses to various stimuli. This approach significantly shifted the field of psychology towards behaviorism, emphasizing the importance of external factors over internal thoughts or feelings, which were seen as subjective and difficult to measure. This foundational idea helped to establish behaviorism as a dominant paradigm in psychology for much of the 20th century.

Watson proposed that psychology should concentrate on observable behaviors rather than internal mental states, making behavior the focal point of the stimulus-response methodology. His perspective emphasized that psychology needed to be a natural science, akin to biology or chemistry, which meant it ought to study quantifiable, observable phenomena. By prioritizing behavior, Watson believed that psychologists could apply scientific methods to analyze and predict behavioral responses to various stimuli. This approach significantly shifted the field of psychology towards behaviorism, emphasizing the importance of external factors over internal thoughts or feelings, which were seen as subjective and difficult to measure. This foundational idea helped to establish behaviorism as a dominant paradigm in psychology for much of the 20th century.