An essential difference between the behavior theory of Watson and Skinner is:
A) Watson recognized the existence of private mental events, whereas Skinner did not.
B) Skinner recognized the existence of private mental events, whereas Watson did not.
C) Skinner believed that the primary goal of psychology is the control of behavior, whereas Watson did not.
D) Watson believed that the goal of psychology is the prediction of behavior, whereas Watson did not.
E) Skinner emphasized the importance of independent and dependent variables, whereas Watson did not.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Skinner recognized the existence of private mental events (such as thoughts and emotions) and developed the concept of operant conditioning to explain how they influence behavior. In contrast, Watson's behavior theory focused solely on observable behavior and did not acknowledge the role of internal mental events.

An Essential Difference Between the Behavior Theory of Watson and Skinner