What is the Meaning of: Neo-comportementalisme | Concept and Definition of: Neo-comportementalisme
In the 1930s, a group of psychologists Americans composed of professionals like Edward Chace Tolman (1886-1959) and Clark Leonard Hull (1884-1952) develops the power of the neo-comportementalisme. This movement starts from the basic principles of Behaviorism (such as environmentalism, the mecanicisme and the packaging) and appealed to intermediate variables for analysis, prediction and control the conduct (of behavior).
The neo-comportementalisme studies are developed in the context of learning and animal behavior. In this regard, Tolman has highlighted the Predictive behavior (animals tend to act following purposes), the need for animals to interact with objects and the animal trend to discover and choose the easy solutions instead of the difficult.
Tolman is also responsible to explain behavior based on what the animal known as a consequence of a deeper knowledge of external contingencies.
The object of study of the neo-comportementalisme is the observable behavior. In this group, the intentional neo-comportementalisme considers the behavior in a predictive manner (behavior maintained in a given direction).
The neo-comportementalistes use the experimental method, with maze tests. In this kind of tests, the animal face the problem solution is explained through the intervening variables (unobservable) the expectations or maps. In other words, learning is a modification of knowledge in the animal of the relationship between environmental events. On the other hand, the neo-comportementalistes perceive the Organization as an active thing.
Concerning the criticisms to the neo-comportementalisme, his opponents find it a system can hardly predictive, with empirical failures of its formal system and concrete.