Editing Behaviorism (section)

===Molecular versus molar behaviorism===
Skinner's view of behavior is most often characterized as a "molecular" view of behavior; that is, behavior can be decomposed into atomistic parts or molecules. This view is inconsistent with Skinner's complete description of behavior as delineated in other works, including his 1981 article "Selection by Consequences".<ref name="Skinner1981">{{Cite journal |last=Skinner, B.F |date=31 July 1981 |title=Selection by Consequences |url=http://www.psychology.uiowa.edu/Classes/31174/Documents/Selection%20by%20Consequences.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=213 |issue=4507 |pages=501–4 |bibcode=1981Sci...213..501S |doi=10.1126/science.7244649 |pmid=7244649 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100702230825/http://www.psychology.uiowa.edu/Classes/31174/Documents/Selection%20by%20Consequences.pdf |archive-date=2 July 2010 |access-date=14 August 2010}}</ref> Skinner proposed that a complete account of behavior requires understanding of selection history at three levels: [[biology]] (the [[natural selection]] or [[phylogeny]] of the animal); behavior (the reinforcement history or ontogeny of the behavioral repertoire of the animal); and for some species, [[culture]] (the cultural practices of the social group to which the animal belongs). This whole organism then interacts with its environment. Molecular behaviorists use notions from [[melioration theory]], [[hyperbolic discounting|negative power function discounting]] or additive versions of negative power function discounting.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fantino, E. |year=2000 |title=Delay-reduction theory—the case for temporal context: comment on Grace and Savastano (2000) |journal=J Exp Psychol Gen |volume=129 |issue=4 |pages=444–6 |doi=10.1037/0096-3445.129.4.444 |pmid=11142857}}</ref> According to Moore,<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Jose State University Library |url=https://login.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?qurl=https://link.gale.com%2fapps%2fdoc%2fA265302082%2fAONE%3fu%3dcsusj%26sid%3dbookmark-AONE%26xid%3dba1ccbfb |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=login.libaccess.sjlibrary.org}}</ref> the perseverance in a molecular examination of behavior may be sign of a desire for an in-depth understanding, maybe to identify any underlying mechanism or components that contribute to comples actions. This strategy might involve elements, procedure, or variables that contribute to behaviorism.

Molar behaviorists, such as [[Howard Rachlin]], [[Richard Herrnstein]], and William Baum, argue that behavior cannot be understood by focusing on events in the moment. That is, they argue that behavior is best understood as the ultimate product of an organism's history and that molecular behaviorists are committing a fallacy by inventing fictitious proximal causes for behavior. Molar behaviorists argue that standard molecular constructs, such as "associative strength", are better replaced by molar variables such as [[rate of reinforcement]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Baum, W.M. |year=2003 |title=The molar view of behavior and its usefulness in behavior analysis |url=http://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=abstract&id=206927 |url-status=dead |journal=Behavior Analyst Today |volume=4 |pages=78–81 |doi=10.1037/h0100009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090904101644/http://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=abstract&id=206927 |archive-date=2009-09-04 |access-date=2008-01-10|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Thus, a molar behaviorist would describe "loving someone" as a pattern of [[love|loving behavior]] over time; there is no isolated, proximal cause of loving behavior, only a history of behaviors (of which the current behavior might be an example) that can be summarized as "love".