John B Watson
Definition
John B Watson was an American psychologist who established the psychological school of behaviorism, focusing on observable behaviors rather than internal thoughts or feelings.
Analogy
If psychology were a movie theater, Freud would be directing films about dreams (psychoanalysis), while Watson would be filming what people actually do in their seats (behavior).
Related terms
Classical Conditioning: It’s a type of associative learning process through which two stimuli become associated with each other; famously studied by Ivan Pavlov.
Behaviorism: A theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning.
Little Albert Experiment: An experiment conducted by Watson, where he conditioned a small child to fear a white rat.
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