How did Watson distinguish between responses and acts? How did he distinguish between explicit and implicit responses?
Despite the asserted goal of decreasing all behavior to the units of S-R, finally behaviorists should aim to understand the complete behavior of organism. For instance, a reaction could be a simple jerk of knee, it could be more complicated.
Watson termed there more complicated reactions “acts”. He contemplated reaction acts to comprise events like constructing, writing, eating or dancing. An act includes the movement of an organism in space.
Reactions could be either implicit or explicit. Explicit reactions are honest and observed directly. Implicit reactions, like secretions from glands, movements of viscera, impulses of nerves, takes place inside the individual.
Though not honest, these are still treated as behavior. By taking in implicit reactions, Watson was reworking his need that all of data of psychology can be actually observed.
Watson approved that few items related to behavior can be observed potentially. The reactions or responses which take place within or inside the organism can be observed by the usage of instruments.