John B. Watson
An American psychologist who established the psychological school of behaviorism, emphasizing observable behavior over internal mental states.
Quotes by John B. Watson
The behaviorist is interested in the unlearning of fears.
The behaviorist believes that emotions are learned responses.
The behaviorist is interested in the objective study of emotions.
The behaviorist believes that thinking is a form of subvocal speech.
The behaviorist is interested in the observable manifestations of thought.
The behaviorist believes that language is a learned behavior.
The behaviorist is interested in the acquisition of language.
The behaviorist believes that consciousness is a meaningless concept.
The behaviorist is interested in the study of behavior, not the study of the mind.
The behaviorist believes that psychology should be a science of behavior.
Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select—doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations and race of his ancestors.
The time has come when psychology must discard all reference to consciousness.
No one in the field of psychology has ever made a single contribution to the science of psychology from introspection.
I believe we can write a psychology, define it as Pillsbury, and never go back upon our definition: never use the terms consciousness, mental states, mind, content, introspectively verifiable, imagery, or the like.
The behaviorist recognizes that the rat, the cat, the dog, and the monkey offer a wealth of material for study.
Mother's love is an emotion which in its intensity and depth far surpasses any other emotion known to man.
The secret of getting your child to talk is to treat him as an adult.
Never hug and kiss them! Never allow them to sit in your lap! If you must, kiss them once on the forehead when they say goodnight.
The parent who tries to guide his child by fear is the parent who is doomed to failure.
Let your child learn to do things for himself, to decide for himself, to think for himself.