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2.3. Behavioral Approach What is wrong with the way I study? When faced with reading a chapter, some students first count the number of pages, then read as fast as they can, underline almost every sentence, take a break in the middle to call a friend, and skip some material toward the end. These kinds of study habits could be greatly improved by following guidelines from behavioral approach, which analyses how organisms learn new behaviors or modify existing ones depending on whether events in their environment reward or punish these behaviors. Behavioral principles have been used to help students change poor study habits; to teach severely retarded people to feed and dress themselves; to toilet train young children; to teach people to be more assertive, less shy, or less depressed; to help people stop smoking or drinking or to lose weight; and to help people overcome extreme fears. Psychologists have also used behavioral principles to train animals to press levers, discriminate between colors and shapes, and even use symbols to communicate. Largely through the creative work and original ideas of B. F. Skinner, the behavioral approach has grown into a major force in psychology. Skinners (1989) insisted that psychologists analyze in a rigorous and scientific way how environmental events influence and determine observable behaviors. His idea, often referred to as strict behaviorism, continue to have an impact on psychology. Some behaviorists such as Albert Bandura (1989) disagree with his strict behaviorism and have formulated a theory that include mental or cognitive processes in addition to observable behaviors. According to his social learning approach, our behaviors are influenced not only by environmental events and reinforcers but also by observation, imitation, and thought processes.