Well, let me tell you, this here behavioral perspective thing in that AP psychology, it’s kinda like when you watch them chickens in the yard. You see what they do, right? You don’t know what’s goin’ on in their little chicken brains, but you see ’em scratchin’ for worms, and you know they hungry.
This AP psychology, it’s all about what you can see. Like, if that old rooster starts crowing every time the sun comes up, well, you know the sun’s what makes him crow. It ain’t no mystery. And the behavioral perspective is all about that. You see a behavior. You figure out what outside thing makes it happen. It like the sun makes the rooster crow.
Now, these young’uns takin’ AP psychology, they gotta learn all this stuff. They got these units, like chapters in a big ol’ book. One of ’em is called “Scientific Foundations of Psychology”. Sounds fancy, don’t it? But I reckon it’s just about how they figure things out in this psychology business. Like how they know the sun makes the rooster crow. That is the scientific foundations of psychology.
Then there’s another one, “Biological Bases of Behavior”. That one, I reckon, is about how the body works with the brain. Like, how your stomach growlin’ tells your brain you need some food. Or how you get tired when you need sleep. You know, that kind of thing. Sleep is important. Food and water, too. You don’t get them, you’re in trouble. Just like them chickens, we need stuff to keep us goin’. This biological bases of behavior, it’s all tied up with that, I bet.
They got all these tests, too. These AP Psychology tests. They even got some booklet. These kids, they study and study. They need some guide, I guess. Some booklets is good for that, I guess. Reminds me of them old seed catalogs. They tell you all about what to do, step by step.
Now, this fella, John B. Watson, he was big on this behavioral perspective. He said it’s all about what you can see and how you learn. Like teachin’ a dog to sit. You show ’em a treat, say “sit”, and when they do it, they get the treat. They learn real quick. That is learning. That’s what this John B. Watson said about.
- You see the behavior.
- You figure out what caused it.
- That’s the behavioral perspective.
This psychology stuff, it was real big a long time ago. They called it behaviorism. Like a big club everyone was in. That was way back then. Things change, you know. But this behavioral psychology, it’s still around. They still look at what people and critters do.
They even look at how people think, too. Not just what they do, but what’s goin’ on in their heads. That’s a whole other part of this psychology. It’s like tryin’ to figure out why that old hound dog likes to howl at the moon. What’s he thinkin’? This psychology tries to figure that out, too.
And they talk about “cognition,” which is a fancy word for thinkin’, I guess. And culture and all that. It’s all mixed up together. It is all mixed up with how we think, how we act, and how the world around us makes us who we are. It is all about that. Like, how the people around you affect how you act. And how the place where you live affects what you do. Culture is important, I guess.
This biological psychology, it’s about how your body and your brain make you feel things. Like, if you see a snake, your heart starts thumpin’ and you get scared. That’s your body and your brain workin’ together. That’s just how we are. That is what the biological psychology is all about.
So, this behavioral perspective in AP psychology, it’s just one way of lookin’ at things. It’s like lookin’ at that chicken scratchin’ in the dirt. You see what it’s doin’, and you can make a pretty good guess why it’s doin’ it. It ain’t the only way to look at things, but it’s a good start, I reckon. It is a good start for the AP psychology, I think.
