Snapshot From The History Of Psychology: John B. Watson: 1918-1920

1. Snapshot From The History Of Psychology: John B. Watson: 1918-1920

2. Watson‘s Position in 1918 • Youngest President of APA • 2) Proponent for applied psychology • 3) Editor of one of the major journals in psychology • 4) One of psychology’s young revolutionaries. • 5) Father of behaviorism

3. Psychology in 1918 • Many of the founders of the discipline are no longer dominant forces. • 2) Psychology lacks the status of other sciences. • 3) Psychology is centered in academia. Applied psychology is in its infancy. • 4) Efforts by psychologists in World War I increased the prestige of the discipline.

4. Watson: 1918-1920 • Pioneering research on the basis of human emotions. • 2) Little Albert and the ‘baby studies.’ • 3) Investigations on the physiological correlates of human sexual response (questionable). • 4) Effects of alcohol on memory. • 5) Sexual hygiene. • 6) Scandal and dismissal from Hopkins.

5. The Scandal • Response of newspapers • 2) Response of psychological historians. • 3) Information in they Watson-Meyer correspondence

6. The Scandal: Some Questions • Was Watson being truthful in his correspondence with Meyer? • 2) Should Meyer have turned the correspondence over to Goodnow? • 3) What did Meyer mean when he said that Watson “did not see the light?” • 4) How might Watson have avoided dismissal?

7. Aftermath And What Might Have Been • Watson in the business world. • 2) Watson the child rearing expert. • 3) Clinical psychology • 4) Developmental psychology • 5) Status of applied psychology

8. That‘ s All Folks