What is the primary focus of behaviorism?

The primary focus of behaviorism is on observable behaviors and their interactions with the environment. Behaviorism emerged as a reaction to the introspective methods of psychology that emphasized internal mental states and subjective experiences, which were deemed difficult to measure scientifically. Instead, behaviorists assert that psychology should be based on observable and measurable phenomena.

This school of thought posits that all behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment, emphasizing the importance of stimuli and responses. By focusing on behaviors rather than thoughts or feelings, behaviorism allows for a more objective and empirical approach to psychological study. It also fosters a clear methodology for analyzing how environmental factors shape behavior through conditioning processes, such as classical and operant conditioning.

In contrast, the other options highlight areas of psychology that don't align with the core tenets of behaviorism. Internal emotional processes and mental states, the physiological basis of behavior, and abstract reasoning are all aspects of psychology that behaviorism tends to overlook, preferring instead to focus on actions that can be quantified and analyzed.