Final answer:
The decline of behaviorism in psychology was caused by the emergence of new disciplines like linguistics, neuroscience, and computer science. These fields revived interest in the study of the mind and led to the cognitive revolution, which emphasized the importance of mental processes in understanding behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
The decline in importance of behaviorism in psychology can be attributed to several factors. One of the major reasons was the emergence of new disciplinary perspectives like linguistics, neuroscience, and computer science in the 1950s. These areas revived interest in the mind as a focus of scientific inquiry and led to the cognitive revolution. Psychologists started to recognize the importance of mental processes and cognitive functioning in understanding behavior.
On the other hand, the cognitive revolution emphasized the study of the mind and brought attention back to mental processes. It was influenced by various interdisciplinary collaborations, including anthropology, linguistics, computer science, and neuroscience. Noam Chomsky, an influential linguist, played a significant role in challenging behaviorism and advocating for the inclusion of mental functioning in psychology.
Overall, the decline of behaviorism and the rise of the cognitive revolution helped psychology shift its focus back to the mind and acknowledge the importance of cognitive processes in understanding human behavior.