Skinner, Watson and Tolman

Paper Summary:

This paper compres the founding fathers of behaviorism - B. F. Skinner, John Watson and Edward C. Tolman. It focuses on Skinner, but also examines Watson's and Tolman's theories of behaviorism and their philosophies. The paper then discusses how their theories have impacted modern learning and psychological observations about human behavior.

From the Paper:

"Unlike Skinner, Watson was more apt to allow that certain complex behaviors had some roots in internal processes, although Watson believed because they could not be studied, they were of limited interest to science, as they could not be reliably reproduced, tested, and confirmed. Skinner believed that even the most apparently complex human responses were the result of conscious or unconscious environmental conditioning of which the actor was often unaware. While this extreme idea has fallen out of favor, Watson's belief that what can be measured and reproduced externally through experimentation is the proper focus of science is reflected in the current focus on psychological drug trials, and the quest measurable results for psychological experiments--and in the enthusiasm for standardized testing in schools."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hauser, Larry. (2006). Behaviorism. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 3 Oct 2008 at http://www.iep.utm.edu/b/behavior.htm#SSH1a.i
• Skinner, B.F. A brief survey of operant behavior. Bfskinner.org. Retrieved 3 Oct 2008 at http://www.bfskinner.org/brief_survey.html
• Zimmer, Gene. (1999). B.F. Skinner. SNTP.net Retrieved 3 Oct 2008 at http://www.sntp.net/behaviorism/skinner.htm

More papers on Skinner, Watson and Tolman:

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• Term Paper # 147501 : "Psychological Perspectives"

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