John Hopkins University example essay topic

John B. Watson John Watson was born near Greenville, South Carolina in 1878. His mother, Emma Watson, was a very religious woman. His father on the other hand did not follow the same rules of living as his mother. Pickens Watson drank, had affairs, and left the family in 1891. The absence of his father took a toll on John. He started rebelled against his mother and his teachers and turned to violence (Watson).

At the age of 16, John entered Furman University (Wozniak). John graduated from Furman University in 1899 with a basic introduction to psychology and a M.A. degree. After a year as a principal of a small private school, he was accepted at the University of Chicago (Wozniak). While at the University of Chicago, John became interested in the field of comparative psychology. He then wrote his dissertation about the relation between behavior in the white and the growth of the nervous system. In 1901, he married Mary I kes and in 1903, he received his doctorate from the University of Chicago.

In 1905, John and Mary had a daughter named Mary Watson. John became an associate professor of psychology at John Hopkins University in 1907. John delivered speech in 1913 titled "Psychology as a Behaviorist Views It" at Columbia University. Before this speech, the field of psychology was in disagreement over the ideas of the nature of consciousness and the methods of studying it.

John took consciousness and introspection out of the picture and proposed the idea of an objective psychology of behavior called "behaviorism" (Watson). John and Mary divorced in 1920 after a sex scandal involving John and his assistant Rosalie Rayner. John was asked to leave John Hopkins University because of this event. It was around this time that he published the "Little Albert" experiment. In this experiment, John tried to condition a fear of rats in a nine month old child. He combined a white rat with a loud clanking noise.

This caused Albert to fear white rats in addition to rabbits, Santa masks, and even John's white beard. After leaving JHU, John went into the advertising business. He wanted to use his scientific theories of behaviorism and the emotions of fear, rage, and love to improve the effects of advertising on consumers. Watson started his training at j walker with Stanley Res or. In 1924, he became the Vice President of the company. He moved on to work for William Esty Agency until he retired in 1945 (Watson).

Watson's works have had a strong influence on psychology. His "Little Albert" experiment is very popular and is explained in psychology textbooks around the country. Watson is known as the "Father of Behaviorism". He was a brilliant man and had a wonderful insight into the world of psychology.

Bibliography

Watson, Emily. "John B. Watson". Psychology History. 10 Dec. 2002 Wozniak, Robert.
John Broadus Watson and Psychology from the Standpoint of a Behaviorist". Online Posting. 1997.
Bryn Mawr College. 18 Dec. 2002.