64 EVOLUTION OF BECHEVIORISM

Initially, behaviorism was concerned with studying the direct links between the stimulus and the response that an individual needs in order to more quickly adapt to the outside world. Behaviorism arose on the basis of two directions: positivism and pragmatism, according to which research should be based only on objective facts, knowledge about a person should be sufficiently complete.

By the end of 1920 - the beginning of the 1930s. there was such a direction of behaviorism, as neobiheviorizm. It introduced the concept that there are so-called intermediate variables between the stimulus and the reaction. The first research behaviorists conducted on animals. And only when it was possible to speak with confidence about sufficiently deep knowledge in the field of behavioral reactions, was the subject of the research made by a person. According to scientists, human behavior can be shaped under the influence of previously prepared external stimuli. But behaviorists did not take into account the fact that the behavior and all human activity is determined by certain motives and goals. Therefore, this suggests that in theoretical and methodological terms behaviorism is imperfect. It can be assumed that he did not respond to the original intentions of the researchers. Most of the behavioral scientists who continued to study the behavioral reactions of a person, not without reason, pointed out to their followers what consequences may arise as a result of influences on a person with the help of various stimuli.

In addition to J. Watson, KL Hull was engaged in the study of human behavior; he isolated operationalism from behaviorism.

For a long time, he tried on the “stimulus-response” formula for various studies with a view to testing it. Behaviorism arose from the research of E. Thorndike, the works of IP Pavlov and V. M. Bekhterev.

The subject of behaviorism is human behavior with all its innate and acquired components. J. Watson singled out 4 types of reactions occurring in humans: external acquired and external hereditary, internal acquired and internal hereditary.

However, in the course of further research instinctive and emotional reactions were identified. According to J. Watson, special attention should be paid to the assimilation of new skills and learning. According to this, the skill is acquired through trial and error, so it is almost impossible to control this process.

J. Watson compared the behavior of man with the behavior of animals, therefore in his studies man was considered only as a reacting creature. The behavioristic doctrine turned out to be far from ideal, since it imposed too high demands on rigor and objectivity.