Influence Of Empiricism In The Development Of Behavioral Analysis

Influence of empiricism in the development of behavioral analysis

Human behavior and thought is something that over the years has wanted to understand by philosophers. Certainly, many of the initial problems of psychology were first raised and discussed by philosophers. There have been several theories and thoughts that have moved the century, all these to explain how to understand the human being from their matter and form (body and soul), from its essence. Several philosophers have dared to share thoughts about how human beings acquire knowledge, how we manage to think and because we behave as we do.

From the empiricist point of view (philosophical current), it supports that the idea of experience gives rise to knowledge, this is a current developed in the S. XVII and XVIII. Different authors such as Locke (states that ideas result from experience) and Hobbes are found (it poses on the changes of state and the senses), these are an important part of the definition of knowledge that is generated from the new ideas.

Knowledge is the exposure of the senses to the environment and experiences, thanks to sensitivity (the senses) capture external information and that is what produces knowledge.

Starting from this definition, everything that is seen, smells, touches, is heard and tested, these experiences are part of how the origin of knowledge is painted in our mind. As Aristotle said, then also raised by John Locke, the human mind is born as a "rasa tabula";That is, at the time of birth, the baby’s mind lacks ideas: it is like a blank role where there is no written idea.

All ideas arise from experience, and from experience all our knowledge arises. The experience as we perceive it abroad (for example, the sound of the waves), is perceived inside, consciousness captured by reflection (for example, that it is stressed or restless). When talking about this, it makes us see that those experiences that are collected outside create something inside that is then reflected in the behavior. That gives way to another philosophical current called behaviorism.

Behaviorism, developed at the beginning of the 20th century, focuses on the study of human behavior (its behavior). In its origin, behaviorism focuses on observable behavior, that is, it puts the objective above the subjective (they prefer facts and not perceptions). It suggests that the links between stimuli and their response in certain contexts should be studied, this being the result of the interaction between the organism that he stimulated and the environment (senses). External observation (experiences) is considered to be the only possible for the construction of reality. (feelings, experiences = behavior).

Behaviors tend to imagine living beings as "tabulas" whose behavior is determined by the experiences that receive more than by internal predispositions. The behavior does not depend mainly on the internal, such as instincts or thoughts, but rather on the environment, and we cannot separate the behavior or learning of the context in which they take place. Speaking of this, we can interpret that the origin of behaviorism is in empiricism, since it is considered that ‘knowledge is a copy of reality’. In addition, according to this theory, man is a ‘rasa tabula’ (said previous.

The senses are an important part since they provide simple ideas;But these ideas when combined form complex ideas (thanks to association processes. Ideas are consciousness content, that is, to the imprint they have left in it a sensation or a reflection (knowledge) . There are simple ideas that are acquired both in the sensation (large, salty, red) and in reflection (pleasure, doubt, fear);and complex ideas that are formed from the simple ones, taking into account the activities of the subject. These ideas (their association) allow the subject to perceive and generate knowledge and as John Locke poses, ideas result from experience, it can then be said that observable behavior is part of the interaction with the environment, this interaction is formed thanks toThe senses which create some experience that leads to the human being to learn therefore to acquire knowledge (ideas).

In conclusion, empiricism influences behavior, interaction with the environment is the knowledge that is needed to define actions and decision making. Human beings need to learn and innate ideas do not show us that, the acquired experiences form us, also the association of ideas, those that tell us if we go on one side or another, those that gradually paint our rush tabula. The senses are an essential part, without them it would be very difficult since we need them to acquire our experiences, to associate ideas and generate that knowledge that will later be reflected in our actions.