Psychology from the Standpoint of a Behaviorist

John B. Watson

Language:

English

Status:

Complete work

Authorship:

Written by the author

Condition of the text:

Clean text

Extent:

~220,000 words · 1,066 passages

PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY COPT RIGHT, ^919, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY PHI NTH) BY J. B. LJPPINCOTT COMPANY AT THE WASHINGTON SQUAKB PRESS PHILADELPHIA, U. 8. A. TO J. McKEEN CATTELL AND ADOLF MEYER PREFACE THROUGHOUT the preparation of this elementary text I have tried to write with the human animal in front of me. I have put down only those things that any properly trained individual can observe — it does not take a psychologist .qua psychologist to study human activity, but it does take a trained scientist and one trained along special lines. In this conclusion I am in hearty agreement with Cattell 's St. Louis address. The young student of behavioristic psychology has to endure no holy vigil before beginning to use psychological material and methods, nor does he at any time have to pass through secret initiation ceremonies before beginning research work. The key which will unlock the door of any other scientific structure will unlock the door of psychology. The differences among the various sciences now are only those necessitated by the division of labor. Until psychology recognizes this and discards everything which cannot be stated in the universal terms of science, she does not deserve her place in the sun. Behavior psychology does make this attempt for the first time. It has been called physiology, muscle-twitch psychology and biology, but if it helps us to throw off the shackles of the present-day conventional psychology and teaches us to face the

Read the full work →