John Watson believed that differences in learning experiences were responsible for differences in behavior. He is even quoted as saying: “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 the race of his ancestors.”
- Do you agree with or disagree with Watson? Why? What do you know about learning that helps support your opinion? Cite your sources as you support your thinking.
- What aspects of the human experience cannot be explained using behaviorism?
