Watson, John Broadus (1878-1958), was an American psychologist. In the early 1900’s, he led a revolutionary movement in psychology called behaviorism. At that time, Watson claimed that psychology was not a true science because it was based on the examination of thought processes and feelings. He believed that psychology would become a true science only if it came to be based on directly observed behavior.
Watson thought that almost all behavior is a direct result of certain stimuli in a person’s environment. His belief that the environment shapes an individual’s behavior was so extreme that he claimed he could teach any healthy child any talent or skill. Although Watson generally opposed the notion of innate abilities, he did allow for three inborn emotions—fear, anger, and love.
Watson was attracted to the Russian physiologist Ivan P. Pavlov’s description of behavior as a conditioned reflex (see Pavlov, Ivan P. ). Watson used this idea as the chief model of behavior in his Psychology from the Standpoint of a Behaviorist (1919).
Watson’s extreme views are not widely held today. But his work helped lead to the development of scientific psychology, particularly in the United States. Watson’s behaviorism greatly influenced the American psychologist B. F. Skinner (see Skinner, B. F. ). Watson was born on Jan. 9, 1878, in Greenville, South Carolina. He died on Sept. 25, 1958.
