John B. Watson : The Father of Behavioral Psychology
John Broadus Watson (anuary 9, 1878 - September 25, 1958) was an American psychologist who popularized the scientific theory of behaviorism, establishing it as a psychological school.
His main research interests include theories and practices of behaviorist psychology, the effects of emotional conditioning, and animal psychology. He believed that psychology should focus on behavior rather than consciousness, advocating for studying the relationship between behavior and the environment. He insisted that psychological research methods should abandon introspection and instead use experimental and observational methods commonly used in natural sciences. He also applied behaviorist research methods to studies of animals, child rearing, and advertising. His efforts greatly contributed to the objectification of psychology and had a significant impact on American psychology.
1 Biography
Early life
He was born on January 9, 1878. His father, Pickens Butler Watson, was an alcoholic. His mother, Emma Kesiah Watson (née Roe), was a very religious woman who adhered to prohibitions against drinking, smoking, and dancing. In bringing him up, she subjected Watson to harsh religious training that later led him to develop a lifelong antipathy toward all forms of religion and to become an atheist.
University education
Watson obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1900, and after serving as a primary school principal for a year, he enrolled at the University of Chicago. Initially studying philosophy under John Dewey, Watson soon discovered his true interest lay in psychology. He changed his course of study and received his doctorate in 1903.
Watson earned his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1903.
In 1908 he came to Hopkins as professor of experimental psychology.
In 1913, Watson published the article "Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It" (also called "The Behaviorist Manifesto"). This article is generally regarded as the manifesto for the establishment of behaviorist psychology.
Later life and death
In 1957, shortly before his death, Watson was awarded a Gold Medal by the American Psychological Association in recognition of his substantial contributions to the field of psychology. He resided on his farm until his passing in 1958 at the age of 80.
2 Main theories
Behaviorism theory
Watson's concept of behaviorism shifted the focus to the external behaviors and reactions of individuals in specific situations, rather than their internal mental states. He asserted that analyzing behaviors and reactions objectively provided the only reliable method to gain insight into human actions. This perspective, aligned with ideas of determinism, evolutionary continuism, and empiricism, has contributed to what is known as Methodological Behaviorism (distinct from Skinner's Radical Behaviorism). Watson posited that this new approach would propel psychology into a new era. He argued that before Wilhelm Wundt, psychology as a field did not exist, and that after Wundt, it was characterized by confusion and anarchy. Watson believed that his new behaviorism would pave the way for further advancements in psychology.
Watson's behaviorism rejected the studying of consciousness. He was convinced that it could not be studied, and that past attempts to do so have only been hindering the advancement of psychological theories. He felt that introspection was faulty at best and awarded researchers nothing but more issues. He pushed for psychology to no longer be considered the science of the 'mind'. Instead, he stated that psychology should focus on the 'behavior' of the individual, not their consciousness.
Instinct theory
Watson's evolving conception of instincts progressed through three phases: initially embracing the conventional psychological perspective, subsequently encountering skepticism and inquiry, and ultimately rejecting the concept of instincts altogether. He observed that from birth, individuals exhibit various responses to external stimuli such as breathing, heartbeat, and sneezing, which he classified as non-learned behaviors. Watson categorized actions commonly attributed to instincts as learned behaviors, suggesting they arise from environmental learning processes. By dismissing genetically inherited instinctual behaviors, Watson proposed that human behavior is wholly shaped by environmental influences.
Language, speech, and memory
Watson argued that mental activity is not directly observable. He described language as a "manipulative habit," emphasizing its imitative nature.
According to Watson, "words are merely substitutes for objects and situations." Infants acquire language through the repetition of sounds they have previously formed. Additionally, Watson posited that children learn to read through a process where a caregiver points to words and reads them in a structured manner, eventually leading the child to recognize and read the words independently.
This, Watson claimed, marks the inception of memory. These concepts, Watson contended, constitute the foundation of our memory.
Study of emotions
Watson was interested in the conditioning of emotions. Of course behaviorism putting an emphasis on people's external behaviors, emotions were considered as mere physical responses. Watson thought that, at birth, there are three unlearned emotional(fear, Rage Love)reactions.
Through his studies on emotional development using classical conditioning, Watson arrived at several valuable conclusions. Firstly, drawing from his well-known 'Little Albert experiment' where an 11-month-old boy developed conditioned responses, Watson proposed that conditioning functions as a mechanism for the complexity and evolution of emotions. He posited that various intricate emotions in humans evolve gradually through the process of conditioning, building upon three foundational emotions. Secondly, Watson's research indicated that conditioned emotional responses can generalize or transfer, and under appropriate conditions, they can also differentiate into distinct conditioned emotional responses.
Twelve infants
Watson has been misquoted in regards to the following passage, which is often presented out of context and with the last sentence omitted, making his position appear more radical than it actually was:
Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select – doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors. I am going beyond my facts and I admit it, but so have the advocates of the contrary and they have been doing it for many thousands of years.
In Watson's Behaviorism, the sentence is provided in the context of an extended argument against eugenics. His "starting point" for a science of behavior was "the observable fact that organisms, man and animal alike, do adjust themselves to their environment by means of hereditary and habit equipments." Nevertheless, Watson recognized the importance of nurture in the nature versus nurture discussion which was often neglected by his eugenic contemporaries
Criticism
Watson's recommendation to treat children with respect but maintain emotional detachment has faced significant criticism. J.M. O'Donnell (1985) characterizes Watson's views as overly radical. Part of this dissatisfaction arises from Watson's portrayal of a 'happy child', who is depicted as only crying due to physical pain, engages in problem-solving activities independently, and does not ask questions.
Main works
1903 Animal Education: An Experimental Study on the Psychical Development of the White Rat, Correlated with the Growth ofthe Nervous System. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press
1907 Kinaesthetic and Organic Sensations: Their Role in the Reactions of the White Rat to the Maze. Psychological Review Monograph Supplement 8, 33: 1–100
1913 Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It. Psychological Review 20: 158-177
1914 Behavior: An Introduction to Comparative Psychology. New York: Henry Holt
1916 The Place of the Conditioned Reflex in Psychology. Psychological Review 23: 89-117
1917 With John J. B. Morgan. Emotional Reactions and Psychological Experimentation. American Journal of Psychology 11: 163–177
1919 Psychology, from the Standpoint of a Behaviorist. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott
1920 With Rosalie Rayner. Conditioned Emotional Reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology 3: 1-14
1921 With Rosalie Rayner Watson. Studies in Infant Psychology. Scientific Monthly 13: 493-515
1928 What the Nursery Has to Say about Instincts: Experimental Studies on the Growth of Emotions, Recent Experiments on How We Lose and Change Our Emotional Equipment. InPsychologies of 1925, edited by Carl Murchison. Worcester, MA: Clark University Press
1928 With William McDougall. The Battle of Behaviorism: An Exposition and an Exposure. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.
1928 With Rosalie Rayner Watson.Psychological Care of Infant and Child. New York: Norton. Usually cited with John B. Watson as sole author.
1930 Behaviorism(revised ed.)New York: W. W. Norton
Famous Quote
Watson is perhaps best known for his famous quote: "Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in, and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select…" This statement encapsulates Watson's belief in the power of environmental factors to shape human behavior and abilities.
Criticisms and Controversies
Ethical Concerns
Watson's methods and conclusions were not without criticism. The Little Albert experiment, in particular, has been scrutinized for its ethical implications. The study's lack of informed consent and the potential long-term psychological harm to the child participant raised questions about the ethical standards of psychological research. These concerns have led to more stringent ethical guidelines in contemporary psychological studies.
Oversimplification of Human Behavior
Critics have also argued that Watson's behaviorism oversimplified human behavior by ignoring the complexities of mental processes and emotions. While behaviorism contributed significantly to the development of psychology as a scientific discipline, it was later supplemented by cognitive psychology, which reintroduced the study of mental processes.
Takeaways
John B. Watson's pioneering work in behaviorism revolutionized psychology by shifting the focus to observable behavior and experimental methods. His contributions to the field, particularly through the Little Albert experiment, applied psychology, and child rearing practices, have had a lasting impact on how behavior is studied and understood. Despite controversies and criticisms, Watson's legacy as the father of behaviorism remains profound, solidifying his place in the history of psychology.
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