Interview with John B. Watson:
The other night, I had a dream in which John Watson appeared, ready and willing to be asked
questions about his life and his work as a psychologist. This is the interview I had with him.
questions about his life and his work as a psychologist. This is the interview I had with him.
![Picture](/uploads/1/0/8/0/10802102/2779898.gif?267)
Q. When and where were you born?
A. I was born on January 9, 1878 in Trvelers Rest, South Carolina.
Q. Where did you receive your education?
A. I went to Furman College in Greenville, South Carolina.
Q. What interested you about the field of psychology?
A. I became interested in the work of Ivan Pavlov and his classically consitioned dogs.
Q. What contributions have you made to the field of psychology?
A. My colleagues Dewey, James Rowland Angell, Henry Herbert Donaldson and Jacques Loeb helped me to develop an analysis of behavior, called behaviorism.
Q. Have you conducted any experiments?
A. I am very well-known for my Little Albert Experiment.
Q. If so, what did you conclude from these experiments about animal or human behavior?
A. In my experiment with Little Albert, I discovered that I could classically condition a child to fear different types of animals by scaring the child while interacting with these species.
Q. What approach(s)/view(s) did you develop/do you follow? Define/explain this approach/view and how it applies to human behavior.
A. I developed the approach known as behaviorism. This approach believes that a person's behavior can be measured, trained, and changed. Behaviorism is solely focused on a person's visible actions, not their thoughts or feelings.
Q. How did people at the time feel about your work?
A. At the time my research was conducted, some of my work was criticized. For example, I told parents to raise children in a way that had some amount of emotional detachment. Many people did not like this.
Q. Do you feel your work has held up/will hold up over the test of time? Please explain why or why not.
A. I believe that my work has held up over time because I was the one who started behaviorism and now psychologists all over the world call themselves behaviorists because of me and my work.
Q. Of your work, what are you most proud of accomplishing?
A. I am the most proud of accomplishing my Little Albert Experiment because I showed the world that classical conditioning is a very possible way to teach behavior.
A. I was born on January 9, 1878 in Trvelers Rest, South Carolina.
Q. Where did you receive your education?
A. I went to Furman College in Greenville, South Carolina.
Q. What interested you about the field of psychology?
A. I became interested in the work of Ivan Pavlov and his classically consitioned dogs.
Q. What contributions have you made to the field of psychology?
A. My colleagues Dewey, James Rowland Angell, Henry Herbert Donaldson and Jacques Loeb helped me to develop an analysis of behavior, called behaviorism.
Q. Have you conducted any experiments?
A. I am very well-known for my Little Albert Experiment.
Q. If so, what did you conclude from these experiments about animal or human behavior?
A. In my experiment with Little Albert, I discovered that I could classically condition a child to fear different types of animals by scaring the child while interacting with these species.
Q. What approach(s)/view(s) did you develop/do you follow? Define/explain this approach/view and how it applies to human behavior.
A. I developed the approach known as behaviorism. This approach believes that a person's behavior can be measured, trained, and changed. Behaviorism is solely focused on a person's visible actions, not their thoughts or feelings.
Q. How did people at the time feel about your work?
A. At the time my research was conducted, some of my work was criticized. For example, I told parents to raise children in a way that had some amount of emotional detachment. Many people did not like this.
Q. Do you feel your work has held up/will hold up over the test of time? Please explain why or why not.
A. I believe that my work has held up over time because I was the one who started behaviorism and now psychologists all over the world call themselves behaviorists because of me and my work.
Q. Of your work, what are you most proud of accomplishing?
A. I am the most proud of accomplishing my Little Albert Experiment because I showed the world that classical conditioning is a very possible way to teach behavior.