Compare and Contrast

Comparing and Contrasting Psychological Perspectives of Watson, Skinner and Tolman

Comparing and Contrasting Psychological Perspectives of Watson, Skinner and Tolman

The word “behavior” did not appear in James Baldwin’s Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology (1901-1905), although ‘conduct’ appeared in Baldwin’s dictionary, it was defined as the sum of an individual’s ethical actions, and its use was prescribed for treatment of “moral” actions. “Behaviorism” is a philosophy of psychology based on the proposition that all things which organisms do- including acting, thinking and feeling- can and should be regarded as behaviors.(reading) Angell explained that consciousness is embedded within the physical world and that “behavior is the most inclusive of all the functional categories dealing with the biological realm (Leary,2004, pgh.18).” Therefore, John B. Watson (1878-1958), B.F. Skinner (1904-1990), and Edward C. Tolman (1886-1959) are three modern behaviorists concerned with the science of conduct or behavior of humans and animals (Leary, 2004).

John B. Watson

John B. Watson was born on Jan. 9, 1878, in a rural area just outside Greenville, South Carolina. At 16 he enrolled at Furman University and graduated 5 years later with a master’s degree. He then entered the University of Chicago and in 1901 received his doctorate. His major in psychology was under J.R. Angell, his philosophy minor under John Dewey, and his neurology major under H.H. Donaldson. Watson’s theory was considered classical behaviorism otherwise known as classical conditioning. Watson’s goals for classical behaviorism was to create a more objective science

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