Raegan Walter has a wonderful post up on her blog that answers this question.
Skinner laid out the behaviorist theory of learning, but others have added to and refined his work.
The notion that they have done so is to be expected in any scientific discipline. Through experimentation, hypotheses may be falsified. Theories are adjusted and refined as knew evidence comes pouring in.
The great scientists who came before were not prophets in the religious sense. Their ideas have always been subject to refinement, revision, and even outright rejection.
When these ideas are refined, it is not evidence that they have been entirely negated. It is evidence that we know more now than we did in the past.
That’s the beauty of science. Nothing is written in stone.
Critics of behaviorism often use this refinement to attack it.
This tactic stems from either ignorance (if we are charitable) or outright intellectual dishonesty.
And if someone wants to attack a scientific theory, it is best that the critic understand how science works before opining.
So if you see someone attacking behaviorism in this fashion, please know that they are either ignorant of how science works or are engaging in intellectually dishonest tactics.
[…] The Retriever, Dog, & Wildlife Blog Posted in Pet Care And Pest Control Articles | Tagged anyone, behaviorist, radical, still | Leave a comment […]