Theoretical Perspective: Psychological Behaviourism

Introduction

Behaviourism, with its goal of establishing the general theory of conditioning, has never had much of a connection to the traditional field of psychological measurement. Psychological measurement has a contrasting goal, that of dealing with individual differences. Furthermore, as Spence (1944) pointed out, behaviourism deals with stimulus-response laws, where the independent variables are the stimulus manipulations that affect the dependent variable, behaviour. Predictive tests, in contrast, deal with response-response laws where the first response (a test result) is related to the second response (the individual's predicted performance). These R-R laws are not causal as S-R laws are. Skinner's radical behaviourism has added to the reasons for ignoring the field of psychological measurement by taking the position that the individual's performance on tests can give no information about the individual's behaviour (1969: 77–78).

Psychological behaviourism has differed from the start, making behavioural analyses of existing psychological tests and projecting assessment in the context of a behavioural therapy (Staats, 1963).

[A] rationale for [behavior therapy] will also have to include some method for the assessment of behavior. In order to discover the behavioral deficiencies, the required changes in the reinforcing system, the circumstances in which stimulus control is absent, and so on, evaluational techniques in these respects may have to be devised. [It is necessary] … to determine such facts for the individual prior to beginning the learning program of treatment. Such assessment might take a form similar to some of the psychological tests already in use … [However,] a general learning rationale for the behavior disorders and treatment will itself suggest techniques of assessment. (Staats, 1963: 508–509, italics added)

Silva (1993) has described the psychological behaviourism contribution as ‘pioneering’ with respect to founding the field of behavioural assessment. For in 1963 there were no other radical behaviourism or social learning theory that suggested the new behavioural assessment developments. However, later researchers (for example, Mischel, 1968; Kanfer & Saslow, 1965) used the psychological behaviourism projection of behavioural assessment within a radical behaviourism approach, thereby confining the development of the field to the principles of reinforcement, direct measurement of behaviours, and the rejection of psychological tests.

Psychological behaviourism, however, has continued to develop its position that there [Page 1015]should be a unification of traditional psychological assessment with behavioural analysis (see Burns, 1980; Fernández-Ballesteros & Staats, 1992; Evans, 1985, 1986; Staats, 1975, 1996).

Psychological Behaviourism, Personality, and Psychological Assessment

Traditional (including radical) behaviourism could not connect to the field of psychological measurement because it lacked a theory of individual differences (personality) with an empirical-methodological arm. Psychological behaviourism has established a new approach that, while entirely consisting of behavioural principles and methods, nevertheless creates such a personality theory (see especially Staats, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1975, 1996). The basic conception is that at birth the child begins to learn complex repertoires of behaviour. And that changes the child. For example, when a two-year-old child has learned a rudimentary language repertoire the child is changed very basically, as in the child's characteristics of learning. To illustrate, a child with language can learn to count via instruction (see Staats, 1968). This type of training is not possible with a pre-verbal child.

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