Psychology: The study of green cheese

Abstract

Three distinctive facets of classical behaviorism are critically examined. The first facet, methodological behaviorism, constitutes a straightforward commitment to empiricism and is, therefore, not controversial. However, the second facet, theoretical behaviorism, is found to be extreme and anachronistic. The final facet, so-called substantial behaviorism, involving, as it does, a change in the subject matter of psychology, is shown to be seriously in error and inconsistent with modern practices in the “hard” sciences.