Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

What Do Mental Terms Mean?

  • Sketch
  • Published:
The Psychological Record Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Psychologists and philosophers have long been interested in two questions: (a) What do mental terms mean? and (b) what role do mental terms play in explanations of behavior? In the current sketch I review how mediational neobehaviorism, cognitive psychology, and the radical behaviorism of B. F. Skinner address these questions. In so doing, I seek to clarify the meaning of mental terms, as well as their role in explanations of behavior.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • CHISHOLM, R. (1957). Perceiving. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • FEIGL, H. (1967). The “mental” and the “physical.” Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • FODOR, J. A. (1968). Psychological explanations. New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • FODOR, J. A. (1983). The modularity of mind. Cambridge, MA: Bradford.

    Google Scholar 

  • LEAHEY, T. H. (1992). The mythical revolutions of American psychology. American Psychologist, 47, 308–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LEAHEY, T. H. (2004). A history of psychology (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • MOORE, J. (2008). Conceptual foundations of radical behaviorism. Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY: Sloan.

    Google Scholar 

  • MOORE, J. (in press-a). Tutorial: Behaviorism. The Psychological Record.

  • MOORE, J. (in press-b). Tutorial: Cognitive psychology as a radical behaviorist views it. The Psychological Record.

  • MOORE, J. (in press-c). Why the radical behaviorist conception of private events is interesting, relevant, and important. Behavior and Philosophy.

  • PUTNAM, H. (1980). Brains and behavior. In N. Block (Ed.). Readings in philosophical psychology (Vol. 1) (pp. 24–36). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • RYLE, G. (1949). The concept of mind. London: Hutchison.

    Google Scholar 

  • SKINNER, B. F. (1945). The operational analysis of psychological terms. Psychological Review, 52, 270–277, 291-294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SKINNER, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • SKINNER, B. F. (1957). Verbal behavior. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • WITTGENSTEIN, L. (1965). The blue and brown books. New York: Harper and Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • WITTGENSTEIN, L. (1973). Philosophical investigations (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. (Original work published 1953; trans, by G. E. M. Anscombe)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, 53201, USA

    Jay Moore

Authors
  1. Jay Moore
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jay Moore.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Moore, J. What Do Mental Terms Mean?. Psychol Rec 60, 699–714 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395740

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395740

Key words

Search

Navigation