Psychological Work of John B. Watson, B.F. Essay

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psychological work of John B. Watson, B.F. Skinner, and Edward C. Tolman, along with the impacts that these three had on society. This paper will also compare and contrast these three iconic psychologists.

Edward C. Tolman is said by author Bernard J. Baars to have been the "…only major figure" in the emerging field of behaviorism "…who advocated the possibility of mental representation" (Baars, 1986, p. 61). Baars writes that more than any other behaviorist Tolman "anticipated…the cognitive point-of-view… [and] thought it necessary to postulate events other than stimuli and responses" (61). Tolman has made significant contributions to psychology, including: a) the use of cognitive maps in rats; b) the "latent learning" he pioneered though the use of rats; c) the concept of "intervening variables"; and d) the discovery that rats don't just learn their movements "…for rewards" but rather they also learn when no rewards are given, backing up Tolman's "latent learning theory" (Geary, 2002, pp. 2-3).

Tolman basically had ideas that required a belief in "…unobservable representations," and "purposes" -- and this placed him outside the boundary of "truly scientific psychology" (Baars, 62). However, Tolman is given credit for developing a theory of learning, positing that learning develops from "…bits of knowledge and cognitions about the environment and how the organism relates to it" (VanderZwaag, 1998).

John B. Watson, meanwhile, actually coined the term "Behaviorism" along the way to his attempt to "revolutionize the study of human psychology" (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy -- IEP). His approach was "radically different" from other psychologists, the IEP explains: Watson's approach led, "scientifically, 'to the ignoring of consciousness' and to the illegitimacy of 'making consciousness a special object of observation'" (IEP). Watson insisted on making "behavior, not consciousness, the objective point of our attack" (IEP, quoting Watson).

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Watson's point was that behavior was the "key" to putting the study of human psychology on a "scientific footing," the IEP explains.

The bottom line when discussing Watson is that he urged deeper study into verifiable areas of human behavior -- such as "observable behavior" rather than consciousness; in effect Watson was eschewing Sigmund Freud's theories on consciousness (Stateuniversity.com). Watson was very sure of himself and of his belief that by manipulating the environment ("the critical mechanism for learning") one could shape the future for a child.

"Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-informed, 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-regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations and race of his ancestors" (Watson, quoted by stateuniversity.com).

Meanwhile B.F. Skinner is likely the best known of behaviorists, according to the literature. Like Watson, Skinner believed that anyone could carefully study the behavior patterns of a person or an animal and through this observation "…figure out what had been reinforced previously" (Northern Illinois University -- NIU). In Skinner's book, Verbal Behavior, he applied his form of behaviorism to learning a language. This aspect of Skinner's research set him apart from Watson and Tolman; his emphasis on language was based on his belief in "stimulus-response" and if the stimulus of the spoken word was reinforced, it would be learned. Likewise if the word or phrase was not reinforced, it would not be learned.

Language is developed in the same way as….....

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