Formally, RL is unrelated to behaviorism, or at least to the aspects of behaviorism that are widely viewed as undesireable. Behaviorism has been disparaged for focusing exclusively on behavior, refusing to consider what was going on inside the head of the subject. RL of course is all about the algorithms and processes going on inside the agent. For example, we often consider the construction of internal models of the environment within the agent, which is far outside the scope of behaviorism.

Nevertheless, RL shares with behaviorism its origins in animal learning theory, and in its focus on the interface with the environment. RL's states and actions are essentially animal learning theory's stimuli and responses. Part of RL's point is that these are the essential common final path for all that goes on in the agent's head. In the end it all comes down to the actions taken and the states perceived.