Behaviorism & Philosophical Foundations

Description, prediction, and control of behavior. Description yields a systematic account of observed events; prediction reveals correlations; control (functional relations) demonstrates that manipulating one variable reliably changes another.

Description is a systematic, factual account of observed events that can be quantified and classified, but it does not specify relationships between events. Prediction goes further by establishing correlations (covariation) that allow anticipation of one event from another.

Control. It is achieved when a functional relation is demonstrated — a specific change in the environment reliably produces a specific change in behavior, ruling out confounds. This yields explanation and is the basis of effective intervention.

A demonstrated cause-and-effect relationship in which a specific change in an independent variable (environmental manipulation) reliably produces a specific change in a dependent variable (behavior), with confounding variables controlled.

Selectionism holds that behavior is selected by its consequences across three levels: natural selection (phylogeny), operant selection by reinforcement (ontogeny), and cultural selection (the evolution of social practices). Variation and selection by consequences shape behavior much as they shape species.

Determinism is the assumption that the universe is lawful and orderly — events, including behavior, are caused by prior events and do not occur randomly or by free will. Without this assumption, the search for functional relations would be pointless.