Theory And Contributions Of John Watson's Behaviorism Theory

Behaviorism is one of the most used theories in education. Due to it can fit in both a classroom setting and at home. Educators had sought out the reason why for many years. But due to each child learns a different way so should the educator. Behaviorism was study by many great Psychologists over the years. Just to name some that had done work and publish books on the subject are, John Watson, Ivan Pavlov, Clark Hull, and B.F. Skinner.

Behaviorism is a theory that is driven off conditioning or repetition of something. The behaviorism theory might be a good theory for the younger grades because they are still trainable per se. Even though this theory might be great for children in the younger grades that react well to color charts and behavior chart it might have the opposite effect on children that have disorders or mental disabilities as these children do not react well to with just repetition and conditioning. In reading the article “My way or the Highway: Beyond Behaviorism” I found some very eye opening things that show how applying this theory alone is unsuccessful, but when applied with other theories it can be beneficial. Let us take a closer look.

William James (1842-1910), James McKeen Cattell (1860-1944), Lightner Witmer (1867-1956), and John B. Watson (1878-1958) were major contributors to the study psychology at this time. James was a pioneer to the development of functional psychology, following the work of Wilhem Wundt (Schultz & Schultz, 2012, p. 131). Cattell was known for his mental tests that were used to measure mental capabilities and intelligence (Schultz & Schultz, 2012, p. 166). These mental test developed into IQ tests determining the intelligence of a person going into the army or being qualified for a job. Witmer began clinical psychology. He developed diagnostic and treatment approaches as they were needed for treating children with hyperactivity, learning disabilities, and poor speech and motor development because he was the first one to do it (Schultz &Schultz, 2012, p. 175). There were no examples for him to follow to see what is wrong or right way to address the needs. Also, Watson became a powerhouse in field of psychology. He had major influences in behaviorism. He provided stern guidelines for child rearing stating that parents should never “hug and kiss them, never let them sit on your lap” (Schultz & Schultz, 2012, p.

A.John Broadus Watson, was describe as a gifted child, but was a vexatious student. John became an atheists even though his mother subjected him to harsh religions training. He was married twice and had 4 children, he often focused most of his behaviorism studies on his children. After his second wife passed his relationship with his children dwindled and he became a recluse. B. John was an American psychologist who established the psychology school of behaviorism.

Behaviorists seek to understand how environmental responses and simple actions shape our development and decisions. Behaviorists believe that human behavior is learned. This belief gives behaviorists the second title of learning theorists (Berger, 2008).

Watson is known as the father of behaviorism. He was born on January 9, 1878 in Greenville, South Carolina. He attended Furman University at 16 and graduated with a master’s degree. Watson then attended the University of Chicago where he became interested in the field of psychology. Watson received his doctorate 1903 and later became an associate professor of psychology at John Hopkins University. John B Watson established behaviorism when he delivered his lectured entitled “Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It” at Colombia University. Watson’s most famous experiment was the “Little Albert” experiment. In the experiment Watson conditioned a child to fear a white rat. He did so by pairing a white rat with a loud noise. Watson was asked to retire from Hopkins because of an affair he was having with his assistant. After leaving John Hopkins University Watson began working for an advertising agency where he used his knowledge of behaviorism to improve the effects of

The behaviourist perspective is a scientific approach within psychology which claims that we are blank slates at birth and all human behaviour is learnt.Behaviourism was developed by John Watson in America in the early 1900s, (Cullis, T1999). Behaviourists focus on external conditions, learning and experience

The statement also suggests that it was not only John Watson the founder of behaviorism who proposed the idea rather it was thought about before him. His rise and influence was probably because of introducing the idea at a time when it could be accepted by the time and tide of that period.

“Why don’t we make what can be observed the real field of psychology” (Watson, 1929). Watson (1878-1958) was born into a poor family in South Carolina. His mother was a religious woman, and his father drank a lot and had multiple affairs (Watson, 1999). Watson himself married twice, having two children in each marriage. He didn’t seem to have good relationships with his children – it is said that one of the main reasons for this may be because he used his children throughout his research. He studied in the University of Chicago where he later became known as the founder of Behaviourism. He wrote an essay in 1914 titled “Psychology as the Behaviourist views it” where he stated that behaviourism is an objective experimental branch of natural science (Watson, 1914). Behaviourism is a theory of learning that argues that all behaviours are acquired through conditioning (Carver & Scheier, 2012). Behaviourists believe

John Broadus Watson, the father of Behaviorism, was born in South Carolina on January 9, 1878 to Emma and Pickens Watson. John grew up in a mixed up household, his father was a known drinker while his mother was a devout Christian. Although he took after his father and got himself into some trouble growing up, he managed to gain admission to Furman College at age sixteen. Upon graduation from Furman, one of John’s professors turned mentor Gordon Moore helped him make the next step, and the following year he enrolled in the University of Chicago’s graduate program.

Psychologists have been focused on observing and understanding human behavior for centuries, dating back to the Greek philosophers when psychology and philosophy were considered one.Today, Psychology is the study of human behavior, beginning before birth and lasting until death. It is clear that the observance human behavior is a vast and profound source of data for psychologists. Early philosophers relied on methods of observation and logic. A physiologist named Wilhelm Wundt in the 1800’s began using scientific research methods in his study of mental processes. However, the situation was totally different in the beginning of 20th century when psychology still struggled to be regarded as a separate discipline with practical value(Mastering,2011). Psychologists had only begun to be accepted as a science. It was John B. Watson who established the school of Behaviorism and inspired many other psychologists to study patterns of human behavior and their mechanisms. Watson 's contribution to psychology is important not to underestimate; he studied animal and human behavior to come up with a methodology that would give Psychology a respected status among other scientific disciplines. This essay will focus on the biography and works of John B. Watson with a purpose to show why his works are important for Psychology today(Hergenhahn & Henley, 2013).

Watson is claiming in his quote from the book Behaviorism that if he could have the control of a child from birth to adulthood, he could sculpt them to be whatever he wants. “ I’ll guarantee to take… and train him to become any type of specialist.” (Watson, Behaviorism) He states that if he had the controlled world, and ideal children, he could shape their life and career completly. I disagree with this, I do not think this would be possible because children and humans in general have individual minds. Some people can not be sculpted due to rebellion and lack of desire. Desire can not be enforced.

Behaviorism is one of seven schools of thought. Behaviorists focus on observable actions rather than the internal aspects of individuals, such as thoughts and emotions. Ultimately, behavior is a response to the surrounding environmental stimuli. Behaviorists have established many basic principles that are still critical to understanding human behavior today.

“Behaviorism is predominantly concerned with evident and measurable aspects of human behavior. In defining behaviour, behaviourist-learning theories emphasise changes in behavior that result from stimulus-response links made by the learner. Behaviour is directed by stimuli. An individual selects one response instead

Behaviorism is the point of view where learning and behavior are described and explained in terms