Behaviourism is the belief that human or animal psychology can be accurately studied only through the examination of observable behavioural events, in contrast with subjective mental states (Kardas, 2014, p. 297). Although other psychological approaches had already demonstrated the utility of focusing on behaviour, Behaviourism, as a sub-discipline in psychology, developed largely because of the work of John Watson and B. F. Skinner. Both behaviourists agreed that studying behaviour, not consciousness, should be the main focus of psychology, but they differed in theory; Watson’s believed that behaviour could be demonstrated in classical conditioning, while Skinner believed in using operant conditioning.
Both Watson and Skinner rejected the studying of consciousness. Watson was convinced that because it could not be observed it could not be studied. According to Watson (1913) the goal of psychology for a behaviourist “is the prediction and control of behaviour. Introspection forms no essential part of its methods, nor is the scientific value of its data dependent upon the readiness with which they lend themselves to interpretation in terms of consciousness” (p. 1). He felt that introspection was faulty at best and awarded researchers nothing but more issues. He pushed for psychology to no longer be considered the science of the mind; instead, he asserted that psychology should focus on observable behaviour (p. 9). Skinner also believed that psychology should study observable behaviour, like Watson, he believed that animal behaviour can be a marker for human behaviour, “[the] bird behaves as if there were a causal relation between its behaviour and the presentation of food, although such a relation is lacking” and that these analogies can also be seen in human behaviour “rituals for changing one's luck at cards are good examples” (1947). This demonstrates the