behaviorism and cognitivism

271 Words2 Pages
Behaviorism and cognitivism have many different similarities and differences Behaviorism is the idea that psychology is a study of external behavior rather than mental. Whereas, cognitive is based on the thought process behind the behavior. It also looks at how we think, remember and, solve problems. Behaviorist focus on the relationship between a situation but cognitivist looks more at how we process the situation. Behaviorist also focus more on how we act rather than our brain and nervous systems, they don’t take mental processes into consideration. Cognitivist, however, study mental processes in an individual by focusing on specific behavior and interpreting those behaviors into mental processes so we can fully understand what we do. Finally, behaviorism deals with the way we behave in different environments. They also believe people pick up their traits from their own experiences. On the other hand, cognitivists believe that by reflecting on our own experiences, we construct our own understanding of the world. Though theses two schools of psychology are very much different, they do have their similarities. Behaviorism and cognitivism are similar in that they both attempt to explain and describe how learning occurs in individuals. Both are also valuable learning theories. They observe the response individuals make to different situations or different conditions. Like behaviorist, cognitivists believe the environment has an impact upon a learner and what happens in one’s life. Lastly, they both hold that our experiences impact the way we learn. In conclusion, these two schools of psychology clearly have their differences and similarities. Behaviorism and cognitivism in my opinion are one of the most important schools of
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