Perspective Paper

Perspective Paper

Kevin Scott

Psy/310

November 11, 2013

Celine Cate

Perspective Paper

Perspective Paper

Psychological views have been altered because the field of psychology has transformed over the years. The science views have strong morals that have bee constant even in present time doctrine. Three prominent scientists had very similar theories. Their names were John Watson, B. F. Skinner, and Edward Tolman. Their theories cross-referenced one another. It kept the field of psychology exciting. Therefore, it was motivation for schools of psychology. This paper will show similarities and differences of their theories.

John Watson, overtime, was hands down the most fundemental man that studied psychologyin his time. For fifty years and more, he outshined with his ideas in behavioristic psychology. He continues to be important in the field concerning the cognitive altered theories (Hernandez, 2008). Born in 1878, Watson had a very strict upbringing. He did not have a very privileged life. However, he was very determind despite his lack of social skills and poor school performance. At the age sixteen, he went to college, earning his Masters by the age twenty-one. After that, he bacame a school principal where he worked for one year. After careful consideration, he decided to go back to college at University of Chicago. He studied philosophy under Professor Dewey (Benjamin, 2007). Watson was dissatisfied with the teachings of Dewey. After speaking to his advisor, he transferred to James Rowland Angell and biologist Henry Donaldson. Angell was an admirred man of science at that time. Utilizing everything he learned through Angell and Donaldson, he started forming his own theories pertaining to behavior, which later was referred as behaviorism. It was later that he bacame the founding father of the school of psychology (Bejamin, 2007). Behaviorism is defined as the science that confirms the propositions that all things that organisms associated with acting, thinking, and feeling will and can be thought of as a behavior. Watson called this classical conditioning. He believed that everyone failed to show emotions and the emotions was a reaction to something happening (Bejamin, 2007). Watson's most well knowned experiment was that of a child named Albert Francis harles Augustus Emmanuel (Goodwin, 2008). Albert was a little bot who went to work with his mother everyday. His mother was a laboratory employee. When Albert would go to the laboratory, his mother would give him a research rat to play with to keep him entertained. After a while, Watson began to observe Albert playing with the rat (McIntyre, 2003). One day, she gave Albert the rat and as an observation experiment, a hammer was dropped on metal purposely to see how Albert would react. Albert became very scared and started to cry. Everytime after that, if a laboratory animal with fur given to Albert, he would get frightened (McIntyre, 2003). John Watson became the mastermind of behaviorism because of that experiment. Today, his theories in conditioning are taught in colleges and zoological society (Benjamin, 2007).

Skinner was a lot like Watson and had similar theories in conditioning. Skinner attended school at Hamilton College in New York. He received his first degree in English Literature in 1926, seeking to become an author. After an unsuccessful year of writing, he came across a book by Bertraud Russell on Philosophy. After reading his book, Skinner set his sight on going to Harvard majoring in science. As a student, Skinner was already a precocious thinker. When he was a graduate student, he became very interested in conditioning chamber and additive recorder (Hernandez, 2008). In 1931, Skinner went on to create his own school of thought, also known as radical behaviorism, while seeking his Ph.d in science. His theories suggest that behaviors are results of the environment, and that this will cause effects in behavior whether it is positive or negative. He concentrated more attention to the schedule of reinforment. A schedule suggesst that the more a behavior is rewarded, the more that behavior will repeat itselt. If it is not reward, then it will