There are... for us no instincts—we no longer need the term in psychology. Everything we have been in the habit of calling an 'instinct' today is a result largely of training—belonging to man's learned behavior.
John B. WatsonRead
Psychology, as the behaviorist views it, is a purely objective, experimental branch of natural science which needs introspection as little as do the sciences of chemistry and physics.... The position is taken here that the behavior of man and the behavior of animals must be considered in the same plane.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Watson argues that psychology should be an objective and empirical science, akin to chemistry and physics.
John B. Watson's quote emphasizes the objective nature of psychology as a scientific field, advocating that it should be studied experimentally and without relying on introspection. He asserts that the behaviors of humans and animals should be analyzed in a similar manner, suggesting that the principles of behavior are universal and that psychological science should align with the rigor found in the natural sciences.
Themes
PsychologyScienceBehaviorObjectivityExperiment
In practice
Example use cases
In a psychology conference to highlight the importance of empirical research methods.
More from John B. Watson
All quotes →The Behaviorist cannot find consciousness in the test-tube of his science.
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