Behaviorism Vs Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive and behaviorism are both two very intriguing theories to me. They are similar and they are different also. Two different theories but both branches of psychology attempt to explain human behavior. Cognitive theory assumes that all humans have the capacity to process and organize information in our minds. This theory is not concerned with the actual visible behaviors but focuses more on the thought process behind the behavior. Cognitive psychology does its best to understand concepts of the brain like decision making and memory. In the 1950s there was a push to move from cognitive theory to behavioral theory but, in 1967, American psychologist Ulric Neisser described his approach in his book Cognitive Psychology. Neisser states that cognition involves "all processes by which the sensory input is transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered, and used. It is concerned with these processes even when they operate in the absence of relevant stimulation, as in images and hallucinations... Given such a sweeping definition, it is apparent that

This theory holds to the thought that we learn by associating certain events with certain consequences, and will behave in the way with the most desirable consequences. Further, this theory assumes that if or when events happen together, they are associated and either event will produce the same response. Another key thing about this theory is it does not denote any differences between human and animal behavior. Key concepts of behavioral psychology include conditioning, reinforcement, and punishment. The basis of behavioral psychology suggests that all behaviors are learned through associations as demonstrated by physiologist Ivan Pavlov, who proved that dogs could be conditioned to salivate when hearing a bell. This process became known as classical conditioning and has become a fundamental part of behavioral