The Three Behaviorists
The Three Behaviorists: Watson, Tolman, and Skinner
The psychological perspective of behaviorism bound together three men whose views otherwise greatly diverged from each other and who together changed the face of psychology: John B. Watson, Edward C. Tolman, and B. F. Skinner. The three men started from the perspective of behaviorism and from there their views widely strayed. The views of Behaviorism’s father, John B. Watson marked him as an extremist. Edward C. Tolman was the neobehaviorist who connected behaviorism and cognition. Finally, the radical B. F. Skinner whose main interest was in understanding how to control and manipulate behaviors. The work of these three men in behavioral psychology laid the foundation for many of the new branches alive and flourishing in psychology as it is known today.
Behaviorism: What Is It?
As the relationship between science and psychology deepened the perspective of behaviorism was developed as the psychological paradigm of the field shifted toward objectivity over subjectivity. Behaviorism, the prominent psychological perspective popular in the 1920s – 1950s, focused on the observable external behaviors from which empirical data could be acquired through study. Behaviorists believed that theories must be supported scientifically; through careful observation of behavior in a controlled environment in which the behavior could be objectively measured. Thinking and emotion, the internal behaviors, were either completely disregarded or explained as behavior. The father of behaviorism, John B. Watson, believed that the theoretical goal of behaviorism was to predict and control behavior (McLeod, 2007).
The behaviorist perspective suggests that at birth the mind is a blank slate that is written upon by the experiences an individual has over the course of development. Behaviorism states that free will does not exist but rather that environment determines behavior. They believe that behavior occurs as a response to
The psychological perspective of behaviorism bound together three men whose views otherwise greatly diverged from each other and who together changed the face of psychology: John B. Watson, Edward C. Tolman, and B. F. Skinner. The three men started from the perspective of behaviorism and from there their views widely strayed. The views of Behaviorism’s father, John B. Watson marked him as an extremist. Edward C. Tolman was the neobehaviorist who connected behaviorism and cognition. Finally, the radical B. F. Skinner whose main interest was in understanding how to control and manipulate behaviors. The work of these three men in behavioral psychology laid the foundation for many of the new branches alive and flourishing in psychology as it is known today.
Behaviorism: What Is It?
As the relationship between science and psychology deepened the perspective of behaviorism was developed as the psychological paradigm of the field shifted toward objectivity over subjectivity. Behaviorism, the prominent psychological perspective popular in the 1920s – 1950s, focused on the observable external behaviors from which empirical data could be acquired through study. Behaviorists believed that theories must be supported scientifically; through careful observation of behavior in a controlled environment in which the behavior could be objectively measured. Thinking and emotion, the internal behaviors, were either completely disregarded or explained as behavior. The father of behaviorism, John B. Watson, believed that the theoretical goal of behaviorism was to predict and control behavior (McLeod, 2007).
The behaviorist perspective suggests that at birth the mind is a blank slate that is written upon by the experiences an individual has over the course of development. Behaviorism states that free will does not exist but rather that environment determines behavior. They believe that behavior occurs as a response to
References: Goodwin, C. J. (2008). A history of modern psychology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. McLeod, S. (2007). Behaviorist approach. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/behaviorism.html VanderZwaag, L. (1998, December). Edward C. Tolman. Retrieved from http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/tolman.htm Watson, E. (1999, May). John B. Watson (1878-1958). Retrieved from http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/watson.htm