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John B. Watson Biography

John Broadus Watson (January 9, 1878 – September 25, 1958) was an American psychologist who established the psychological school of behaviorism. Watson promoted a change in psychology through his address Psychology as the Behaviorist Views it, which was given at Columbia University in 1913. Through his behaviorist approach, Watson conducted research on animal behavior, child rearing, and advertising. In addition, he conducted the controversial "Little Albert" experiment and the Kerplunk experiment. Watson popularized the use of the scientific theory with behaviorism. He was also editor of Psychological Review from 1910 to 1915. A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Watson as the 17th most cited psychologist of the 20th century.

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John B. Watson Quotes

Psychology, as the behaviorist views it, is a purely objective, experimental branch of natural science which needs introspection as little as do the sciences of chemistry and physics. . . . The position is taken here that the behavior of man and the behavior of animals must be considered in the same plane.

Animal, Behavior, Behaviorist, Considered, Men, Taken

No one knows just how the idea of a soul or the supernatural started. . . It probably had its origin in the general laziness of mankind.

General, Ideas, Origin, Religion, Soul

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.

Ancestors, Artist, Doctors, Men, Regardless, Train

The Behaviorist cannot find consciousness in the test-tube of his science.

Behaviorist, Consciousness, Science, Tests, Tubes

This dogma (the soul) has been present in human psychology from earliest antiquity. No one has ever touched the soul, or has seen one in a test tube, or has in any way come into a relationship with it as he has with the other objects of his daily experience.

Dogma, Human, Psychology, Religion, Soul

The first aim of a good college is not to teach books, but the meaning and purpose of life. Hard study and the learning of books are only a means to this end. We develop power and courage and determination and we go out to achieve Truth, Wisdom and Justice. If we do not come to this, the cost of schooling is wasted.

Book, Books, Cost, Determination, Develop, Mean

The behaviorist advances the view that what the psychologists have hitherto called thought is in short nothing but talking to ourselves.

Hitherto, Psychologist, Talking, View, Views

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 beggarman 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.

Admit, Advocates, Artist, Doctors, Race, Years

There are. . . for us no instincts—we no longer need the term in psychology. Everything we have been in the habit of calling an 'instinct' today is a result largely of training—belonging to man's learned behavior.

Calling, Instinct, Men, Psychology, Training

Men are built, not born. . . . Give me the baby, and I'll make it climb and use its hands in constructing buildings of stone or wood. . . . I'll make it a thief, a gunman or a dope fiend. The possibilities of shaping in any direction are almost endless.

Baby, Dope, Education, Fiend, Gunman, Men