Final answer:
Neobehaviorism, also known as cognitive behaviorism, is a school of thought that emerged in psychology as a reaction to strict behaviorism. It recognizes the importance of cognition in shaping behavior and learning. Neobehaviorists like Tolman, Hull, and Skinner emphasized the role of cognition and demonstrated that organisms can learn even without immediate reinforcement.
Step-by-step explanation:
Neobehaviorism, also known as cognitive behaviorism, is a school of thought within psychology that emerged as a reaction to the strict behaviorism of figures like B.F. Skinner. Neobehaviorists, including Edward C. Tolman, Clark L. Hull, and B.F. Skinner himself, recognized the importance of cognition, or mental processes, in shaping behavior. They believed that organisms can learn even without immediate reinforcement and that learning involves cognitive processes.
For example, Tolman's experiments with rats demonstrated that rats could learn the layout of a maze even if they did not receive immediate rewards. He called this latent learning, where learning occurs but is not immediately expressed in behaviors. This challenged the idea that reinforcement must be immediate for learning to happen and highlighted the cognitive aspect of learning.
Neobehaviorism emphasized the study of behavior while also recognizing the role of cognition. It expanded the field of behaviorism by acknowledging the importance of mental processes in understanding behavior and learning.