Behaviourism (or behaviorism in the United States) is an approach in political science, which emerged in the 1930s in the United States. It represents a sharp break from previous political science. This is because it emphasized an objective, quantified approach to explain and predict political behavior.[1][2] It is associated with the rise of the behavioral sciences, modeled after the natural sciences.[3] This means that behaviorism claims it can explain political behavior from an unbiased, neutral point of view.
Behaviorism seeks to examine the behavior, actions, and acts of individuals – rather than the characteristics of institutions such as legislatures, executives, and judiciary – and groups in different social settings and explain this behavior as it relates to the political system.