Determinism
Also called: lawfulness of behavior
Definition
The assumption that behavior is lawful: it has causes in the environment and in the person's history, and those causes can in principle be discovered. Without it there would be nothing for a science of behavior to find.
In plain language
The idea that behavior happens for reasons, and the reasons can be found. This is the starting point for studying behavior at all.
Example
An analyst assumes a learner's outburst has an environmental cause and looks for it, instead of concluding the learner is simply unpredictable.
Not determinism
Explaining a behavior as "just who he is." That treats the behavior as uncaused and stops the search for what maintains it.
See also
Written from
- skinner-1953
Written from Skinner (1953) on the assumptions of a natural science of behavior. No textbook glossary consulted.
This entry has not yet been through clinical review. Treat it as a draft.