Introductory Psychology CLEP Prep Practice Exam

What is the difference between behaviorism and cognitive psychology?

1. Behaviorism focuses on the mind, while cognitive psychology focuses on behavior

2. Behaviorism is negative reinforcement, while cognitive psychology is positive reinforcement

3. Behaviorism manipulates behavior, while cognitive psychology focuses on understanding thought processes

4. Behaviorism emphasizes unconscious processes, while cognitive psychology addresses conscious processes

The correct answer is: Behaviorism manipulates behavior, while cognitive psychology focuses on understanding thought processes

Behaviorism and cognitive psychology both focus on how humans behave and interact with their environment, but they differ in their approaches. Option A is incorrect because behaviorism actually emphasizes observable and measurable behaviors, rather than the mind. Option B is incorrect because both behaviorism and cognitive psychology use reinforcement, but they do not solely focus on positive or negative reinforcement. Option D is incorrect because behaviorism primarily looks at conscious processes and ignores unconscious processes. Cognitive psychology, on the other hand, focuses on understanding and examining thought processes and how they influence behavior. It does not involve directly manipulating behavior as behaviorism does. So, the main difference between behaviorism and cognitive psychology is their focus - behaviorism looks at observable behavior, while cognitive psychology looks at underlying thought processes.