hav iour ist ▁approach ▁ ▁Prior ▁to ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁animal ▁sciences ▁such ▁as ▁compar ative ▁psych ology ▁and ▁eth ology , ▁interpretation ▁of ▁animal ▁behaviour ▁t ended ▁to ▁favour ▁a ▁minimal istic ▁approach ▁known ▁as ▁behaviour ism . ▁ ▁This ▁approach ▁ref uses ▁to ▁as cribe ▁to ▁an ▁animal ▁a ▁cap ability ▁beyond ▁the ▁least ▁demand ing ▁that ▁would ▁explain ▁a ▁behaviour ; ▁anything ▁more ▁than ▁this ▁is ▁seen ▁as ▁unw arr anted ▁anth rop omorphism . ▁The ▁behaviour ist ▁argument ▁is , ▁why ▁should ▁humans ▁post ulate ▁conscious ness ▁and ▁all ▁its ▁near - human ▁imp lications ▁in ▁animals ▁to ▁explain ▁some ▁behaviour , ▁if ▁mere ▁stim ulus - response ▁is ▁a ▁sufficient ▁explanation ▁to ▁produce ▁the ▁same ▁effects ? ▁ ▁Some ▁behaviour ists , ▁such ▁as ▁John ▁B . ▁Watson , ▁claim ▁that ▁stim ulus – response ▁models ▁provide ▁a ▁sufficient ▁explanation ▁for ▁animal ▁behav i ours ▁that ▁have ▁been ▁described ▁as ▁emot ional , ▁and ▁that ▁all ▁behaviour , ▁no ▁matter ▁how ▁complex , ▁can ▁be ▁reduced ▁to ▁a ▁simple ▁stim ulus - response ▁association . ▁Watson ▁described ▁that ▁the ▁purpose ▁of ▁psych ology ▁was ▁" to ▁predict , ▁given ▁the ▁stim ulus , ▁what ▁reaction ▁will ▁take ▁place ; ▁or ▁given ▁the ▁reaction , ▁state ▁what ▁the ▁situation ▁or ▁stim ulus ▁is ▁that ▁has ▁caused ▁the ▁reaction ". ▁ ▁The ▁c aut ious ▁word ing ▁of ▁D ixon ▁exempl ifies ▁this ▁view point : ▁ ▁M ous sa ie ff ▁Mass on ▁and ▁Mc Car thy ▁describe ▁a