John Watson

John Watson (1878-1958)

Background
John Watson was born on January 9 in Greenville, South Carolina. He went to Furman University in South Carolina at age 16 and graduated with a masters degree be the age of 21. After Watson finished college, he took at just at the University of Chicago as a research professor. He died on September 25.

Watson's Theory
Watson assumed that behavior is observable and can be correlated with other observable events. He created a theory call Behaviorism. John Watson tested his theory on animals first then moved on to children.

Impact on Child Development
Behaviorism impacted child development by giving people an easier way to observe children during different events.

How do we use behaviorism today?
People use behaviorism as tests to observe how children act during different situations and events.

Interesting Facts

 * With Watson not having a father during childhood, he often rebelled and was once arrested for shooting a gun.
 * He had two kids.
 * Watson accepted a professor of psychology position at John Hopkins University.

Resources
Cherry, K. (2013). John b. watson biography. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/watson.htm (Cherry, 2013)