A history of the term radical behaviorism: From Watson to Skinner.
The label radical behaviorism first referred to the Watson position on consciousness in the 1920s, but after Skinner adopted it in the 1930s and 1940s it now denotes his philosophy alone.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The authors traced how the phrase "radical behaviorism" changed owners.
At first it described Watson’s hard-line rejection of mind talk.
By the 1960s the same label belonged only to Skinner’s view that private events are also behavior.
What they found
The term flipped meaning inside one generation.
Watson’s old slogan vanished and Skinner’s philosophy kept the name.
How this fits with other research
Coleman (1987) shows why the label stuck.
That paper argues Skinner’s three-term contingency gives the clearest unit for applied work.
LaFrance et al. (2020) and Geckeler et al. (2000) still use "radical behaviorism" the Skinner way.
Together they show the field kept the word but swapped the story.
Why it matters
When you say "radical behaviorism" parents or co-workers may still hear "ignore thoughts and feelings."
This history lets you correct the myth fast.
Tell them Skinner counted private events as behavior, then move on to your A-B-C data.
Who Coined Radical Behaviorism?
John B. Watson introduced the term behaviorism in 1913. During the early 1920s, the phrase radical behaviorism emerged, and at that point it referred to Watson's behaviorism, most specifically his stance on consciousness.
So the earliest usage of the term was tied to Watson, not Skinner, a fact that surprises many practitioners who associate the phrase only with modern behavior analysis.
How the Meaning Shifted to Skinner
B. F. Skinner described his own position as radical behaviorism in an unpublished manuscript in the 1930s, then first used the term in print for his views in 1945. Over time this usage prevailed.
Today radical behaviorism is generally applied to Skinner's philosophy alone, especially its treatment of private events as behavior worthy of analysis. Schneider and Morris also noted a similarity between the Watson and Skinner positions on consciousness, a thread linking their two versions of the term.
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Add one slide or sticky note: "Radical behaviorism = private events ARE behavior (Skinner, not Watson)." Use it when you intro ABA to new staff.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
This paper describes the origins and evolution of the term radical behaviorism. John B. Watson's coining of behaviorism in 1913 is presented first, followed by a discussion of the uses of "radical" within psychology during these early years. When the term radical behaviorism first emerged in the early 1920s, its referent was Watson's behaviorism, most specifically his stance on consciousness. In the 1930s, B. F. Skinner described his own position with the term radical behaviorism in an unpublished manuscript, and then in 1945 first referred in print to his views as such. Today, radical behaviorism is generally applied to Skinner's views alone. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of a similarity in Watson's and Skinner's positions on consciousness, which seems a possible historical and philosophical connection between their respective radical behaviorisms.
The Behavior analyst, 1987 · doi:10.1007/BF03392404