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History of Behaviorism Timeline

(1879–Present)

The History of Behaviorism traces the development of a psychological approach focused on observable behavior, learning, conditioning, and environmental influences. Less

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Foundations and theories

Behavioral genetics is proposed

1869

Francis Galton proposed behavioral genetics in 1869. The proposal, associated with Galton's broader interest in heredity and individual differences, helped establish an intellectual background for later attempts to explain behavior scientifically.

Image source: Behavioural genetics

Behavioral genetics is proposed

Thorndike pioneers the law of effect

1898

In the late nineteenth century, Edward Thorndike pioneered the law of effect. His procedure used consequences to strengthen or weaken behavior and became an important precursor to later behaviorist accounts of learning.

Image source: Edward Thorndike

Thorndike pioneers the law of effect

Methodological behaviorism is formulated

1924

In a 1924 publication, John B. Watson devised methodological behaviorism. It rejected introspective methods and sought to understand behavior by measuring observable behaviors and events.

Skinner formulates radical behaviorism

1945

In 1945, B. F. Skinner proposed that covert behavior, including cognition and emotions, is subject to the same controlling variables as observable behavior. This became the basis of his philosophy of radical behaviorism.

Skinner publishes Science and Human Behavior

1953

Skinner's 1953 work is among the publications identified as treating cultural occurrences as a central subject of behavior analysis. It contributed to the broader attempt to apply a science of behavior to human affairs.

Image source: Human behavior

Skinner publishes Science and Human Behavior

Skinner publishes Contingencies of Reinforcement

1969

In an essay republished in his 1969 book Contingencies of Reinforcement, Skinner argued that humans could construct linguistic stimuli that would acquire control over behavior in the same way as external stimuli.

Image source: Reinforcement

Skinner publishes Contingencies of Reinforcement

Rescorla and Wagner emphasize competition in conditioning

1972

Rescorla and Wagner demonstrated in 1972, particularly in classical conditioning, that competition is an essential complement to contiguity. Their work challenged accounts that treated simple temporal pairing as sufficient to explain conditioning.

Skinner publishes About Behaviorism

1974

Skinner's 1974 work is among the publications associated with behavior analysis's examination of cultural occurrences. It also formed part of his broader effort to explain behavior through behavioral principles rather than introspective mental causes.

Beck raises epistemological objections to Skinnerian behaviorism

1975

In 1975, Lewis White Beck criticized Skinnerian behaviorism's reliance on a “machine theory” of human beings. He argued that the theory was self-stultifying and pointed to creative thought, free will, and reasoning as challenges to treating people as machines.

Image source: Lewis White Beck

Beck raises epistemological objections to Skinnerian behaviorism

Zhang and Staddon formalize operant contingency

1991

Ying Zhang and John Staddon presented a formal argument in 1991 concerning operant conditioning. They proposed that contiguity combined with competition among action tendencies could serve as an assignment-of-credit mechanism for detecting genuine instrumental contingency between a response and its reinforcer.

Staddon criticizes Skinner's account of behavioral variation

1993

Staddon found in 1993 that Skinner's theory had two significant deficiencies, including downplaying the processes that generate novel behaviors. He argued that Skinner emphasized reinforcement as the determinant of response selection while overlooking behavioral variation.

Burgos critiques pragmatism in behavior analysis

2003

Burgos highlighted in 2003 the potential peril of pragmatism as discussed in philosophy, science, behaviorism, and behavior analysis. He argued that tolerance for anything deemed useful could permit nonsensical claims.

Image source: Pragmatism

Burgos critiques pragmatism in behavior analysis

Burgos argues pragmatism produces relativism

2007

Burgos contended in 2007 that pragmatism engenders a relativism contradicting the emphasis on science as the paramount path to knowledge.

Experimental behaviorism

The Little Albert experiment applies respondent conditioning

1920

John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner conducted the Little Albert experiment in 1920. Drawing on Ivan Pavlov's theory of respondent conditioning, they applied conditioning to elicit a fearful crying reflex in a human infant. The study later became associated with the analysis of covert behavior and was criticized by B. F. Skinner because he believed aversive stimuli should be tested only with animals.

Image source: Little Albert experiment

The Little Albert experiment applies respondent conditioning

Operant conditioning is developed

1938

B. F. Skinner developed operant conditioning in 1938. It describes learning in which the frequency of a behavior is controlled by consequences that alter future behavior.

Skinner observes emotional behavior in pigeons

1959

In 1959, Skinner observed the emotions of two pigeons, noting that they appeared angry because their feathers ruffled. The observation illustrates his willingness to analyze apparent emotional behavior through observable behavior.

Image source: B. F. Skinner

Skinner observes emotional behavior in pigeons

Applied and cultural behavior analysis

Behavior analysis examines cultural occurrences

1953

From its inception, behavior analysis centered examination on cultural occurrences. Skinner's 1953 work is identified as part of this continuing emphasis on understanding cultural phenomena through behavioral principles.

The psychiatric nurse study demonstrates token economies

1959

The study “The psychiatric nurse as a behavioral engineer,” published in 1959, demonstrated the effectiveness of a token economy in reinforcing more adaptive behavior among hospitalized patients with schizophrenia and intellectual disability.

Behavior analysis continues cultural research

1961

Behavior analysis continued its examination of cultural occurrences in work identified with 1961. This sustained the field's effort to extend behavioral analysis beyond individual learning to cultural phenomena.

APA Division 25 is established

1964

The American Psychological Association's subdivision for Behavior Analysis, APA Division 25, has existed since 1964. Its creation provided formal organizational recognition for behavior analysis within American psychology.

Image source: American Psychological Association

APA Division 25 is established

Skinner discusses cultural behavior

1971

Skinner's 1971 work is included among the publications through which behavior analysis continued examining cultural occurrences. It reflects the application of behavioral principles to cultural practices and social life.

Applied Animal Behaviour Science is founded

1974

Research on applied animal behavior has frequently appeared in Applied Animal Behaviour Science since the journal's founding in 1974. The journal represents an established venue for applying behavioral research to animals.

Glenn develops the metacontingency approach

1986

Following Glenn's influential 1986 work, “Metacontingencies in Walden Two,” numerous research efforts explored behavior analysis in cultural contexts through the concept of the metacontingency.

Image source: Behaviorism

Glenn develops the metacontingency approach

Applied behavior analysis gains clinical recognition

1990

Since the late 1990s and throughout the twenty-first century, early applied behavior analysis interventions have been identified as the treatment of choice by the US Surgeon General, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the US National Research Council.

Rider highlights division within behavior analysis

1991

Rider expressed concern in 1991 about reduced communication between the experimental analysis of behavior and applied behavior analysis, identifying an internal division within the broader field.

Image source: Applied behavior analysis

Rider highlights division within behavior analysis

Glenn calls for analysis of cultural-level processes

2003

Glenn argued in 2003 that understanding the origins and development of cultures requires going beyond evolutionary principles governing species characteristics and behavioral principles governing individual learned behavior. She called for analysis at a major cultural level.

Personalized health interventions show greater effectiveness

2015

A 2015 finding reported substantial evidence in healthcare and health psychology that personalized health interventions yield greater effectiveness than standardized approaches.

Staddon warns about fragmentation in social science

2018

Staddon argued in 2018, as cited by Araiba in 2019, that diversification in social science can hinder healthy and open scientific communication and critique among specialized areas.

Cognitive and linguistic challenges

Skinner publishes Verbal Behavior

1957

Skinner's 1957 book Verbal Behavior laid out a vocabulary and theory for the functional analysis of verbal behavior. The book was intended to understand human behavior rather than simply emphasize language development, and it was strongly criticized in a review by Noam Chomsky.

Image source: Verbal Behavior

Skinner publishes Verbal Behavior

Chomsky critiques behaviorism

1959

Noam Chomsky's 1959 critique of behaviorism and empiricism more generally initiated what would become known as the cognitive revolution. The criticism challenged behaviorist explanations of language and human thought.

Image source: Noam Chomsky

Chomsky critiques behaviorism

The Center for Human Information Processing is established

1964

Formal recognition of the emerging cognitive field included the establishment of George Mandler's Center for Human Information Processing in 1964. The institution represented the growing importance of information-processing approaches that contrasted with behaviorism.

The cognitive revolution eclipses behaviorism

1970

In the second half of the twentieth century, behaviorism was largely eclipsed as a result of the cognitive revolution. Cognitive psychology increasingly replaced behaviorism as an explanatory theory by treating internal mental states as explanations for observable behavior.

Key Facts

  1. Behaviorism grew from experimental psychology and rejected the study of unobservable mental processes as the primary focus of psychology.
  2. Ivan Pavlov demonstrated classical conditioning through experiments showing that animals could learn associations between stimuli.
  3. John B. Watson formally launched behaviorism in 1913, arguing that psychology should objectively study observable behavior.
  4. B. F. Skinner developed radical behaviorism and advanced the concept of operant conditioning, in which consequences shape behavior.
  5. Although cognitive psychology challenged behaviorism’s dominance after the 1950s, behavioral principles remain important in education, therapy, animal training, and applied behavior analysis.

Source

This History of Behaviorism timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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