<P> In the Progressive Era in the United States (1890s - 1920s), political science became not only a prestigious university curriculum but also an applied science that was welcomed as a way to apply expertise to the problems of governance . Among the most prominent applied political scientists were Woodrow Wilson, Charles A. Beard, and Charles E. Merriam . Many cities and states set up research bureaus to apply the latest results . </P> <P> The American Political Science Association, established in 1903, is the largest professional association of political scientists . </P> <P> Behavioralism (Behaviouralism) is an empirical approach which emerged in the 1930s in the United States . It emphasized an objective, quantified approach to explain and predict political behavior . Guy says "Behaviouralism emphasized the systematic understanding of all identifiable manifestations of political behaviour . But it also meant the application of rigorous scientific and statistical methods to standardize testing and to attempt value free inquiry of the world of politics...For the behaviouralist, the role of political science is primarily to gather and analyze facts as rigorously and objectively as possible . Petro p 6 says "Behavioralists generally felt that politics should be studied much in the same way hard sciences are studied ." It is associated with the rise of the behavioral sciences, modeled after the natural sciences . As Guy notes, quote = The term behaviouralism was recognized as part of a larger scientific movement occurring simultaneously in all of the social sciences, now referred to as the behavioural sciences ." This means that behavioralism tries to explain behavior with an unbiased, neutral point of view . </P> <P> Behavioralism seeks to examine the behavior, actions, and acts of individuals--rather than the characteristics of institutions such as legislatures, executives, and judiciaries and groups in different social settings and explain this behavior as it relates to the political . </P>

Who used the term political science for the first time