An analysis of the explicative model in radical behaviorism: the behavior’s statute and the dependence relation between events

Authors

  • Monalisa de Fátima Freitas Carneiro Leão Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul - Campus Paranaíba
  • Carolina Laurenti

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/psi.v13i1.12462

Keywords:

radical behaviorism, explanation of behavior, functional relations, behavior’s autonomy, historical explanation

Abstract

The article’s objective is to elucidate some characteristics of the explicative model proposed by Radical Behaviorism. As such, we have approached two aspects: (1) the explicative field’s delimitation, and (2) the explicative model in the context of the philosophy of the science. In relation to first point, we have examined the behavior’s statute in radical behaviorist explanation contrasting it with two traditional explanations of behavior: the mentalist and the physicalist. Differenring from these last explanations Radical Behaviorism defends behavior as an autonomous subject matter. In the context of the philosophy of science, we have examined traditional conceptions about the dependence relations among events as necessary connection and chain metaphor. Soon after, we discussed how the behaviorist explanative model seems to be incompatible with these conceptions. We have concluded that Radical Behaviorism explains the behavior looking for probabilistic interdependence networks between environmental and behavioral events taking the importance of history in this process into consideration.

 

 

Keywords: radical behaviorism; explanation of behavior; functional relations; behavior’s autonomy; historical explanation.

Author Biography

Monalisa de Fátima Freitas Carneiro Leão, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul - Campus Paranaíba

Aluna do quarto ano do curso de Psicologia - Formação de Psicólogo da Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul - Campus Paranaíba.

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Published

2009-10-29

How to Cite

Leão, M. de F. F. C., & Laurenti, C. (2009). An analysis of the explicative model in radical behaviorism: the behavior’s statute and the dependence relation between events. Interação Em Psicologia, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.5380/psi.v13i1.12462

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 1 (2009)

Section

Articles

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