The Permanent Contribution of William James to Psychology*

Knight, Margaret

doi:10.1111/j.2044-8279.1953.tb02844.x

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Assuming the validity of citation analysis for historiographical purposes, we sought to evaluate the impact of Watson's study on American psychology, not only by quantifying the citations of his published study but also by comparing them with citations of publications by eight other eminent psychologists of the time: Edward Bradford Titchener (1867–1927), Edward Lee Thorndike (1874–1949), Granville Stanley Hall (1846–1924), James McKeen Cattell (1860–1944), James Rowland Angell (1869–1949), Harvey A. Carr (1873–1954), John Dewey (1859–1952), and William James (1842–1910). These authors, besides being among the best representatives of American psychology in the first decades of the 20th century (Annin, Boring, & Watson, ; Catania, ; Haggbloom et al, ; Heidbreder, ; Knight, ; Simonton, ), were the target of Watson's critique of what he called the “old” psychology. In the specific case of Titchener, it is important to note that he published one of the first criticisms of Watson's Manifesto (Titchener, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reevaluating the initial impact of John Broadus Watson on American psychology: The necessity of comparative parameters

Araújo

Saraiva

Neto

2019

J History Behavioral Science

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In recent decades, various studies have challenged the traditional view that John Broadus Watson's Behaviorist Manifesto prompted a psychological revolution. However, methodological hindrances underlie all these attempts to evaluate the impact of Watson's study, such as the absence of comparative parameters. This article remedies this problem by conducting a comparative citation analysis involving Watson and eight other representative psychologists of the time:

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reevaluating the initial impact of John Broadus Watson on American psychology: The necessity of comparative parameters

Araújo

Saraiva

Neto

2019

J History Behavioral Science

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“…However, in epistemological terms, this same decision removes James from the probabilistic doctrine used by Darwin in his selective texts (Darwin, 1858(Darwin, , 1859(Darwin, , 1871(Darwin, , 1872. In focusing the selection upon consciousness, James used a model of determinism based on internal causation and upon the naturalization of intention that would accompany much of American psychology during the twentieth century (Knight, 1953;Kinouchi, 2006;Skrupkelis, 2011). This kind of determinism stems from that premise about freedom and the protoganism of the individual's actions over his own destiny and resembles the evolutionary doctrine of Herbert Spencer (cf.…”

Section: Darwinian and Non-darwinian Ideas Of Evolution In William Jamesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this way, James (1890; 1892) adapts Darwin's premises to an analysis centred on the body's individual and mental experience, focusing on the body's private world experience to explain the evolution of instincts and habits. William James proposed an evolutionary theory of emotions as an adaptive function of the organism and a theory of consciousness as a unified and intentional agent (Hart, 1981, Knight, 1953, Valentine, 1991.…”

Section: William James Naturalization Of Mindmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Evolution changed the way we studied animal behavior, personality and psychopathologies. The Principles of Psychology ( James, 1890;1892) were a milestone for the theoretical reflection in Psychology (Knight, 1953, Valentine, 1991Kinouchi, 2009) and a precursor of evolutionary thought in Psychology. The importance of James' psychological ideas survived more than a century of misrepresentation and over simplification (Araujo & Honorato, 2017, Ellsworth, 1994.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evolutionary Ideas and the Naturalization of Mind in William James

Santana¹

2019

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This paper aims to identify the Darwinian and Non-Darwinian influences upon WilliamJames's theory about the naturalization of mind presented on his book Principles of Psychology. This effort intends to include the identification of William James' original proposals to of a naturalized and scientific approach of Mind. We identified some general aspects of evolutionary ideas in William James' book on the Principles of Psychology: a) his evolutionary ideas were influenced by his readings of Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer; b) James assimilates these influences in an original way, reconciling the generality of evolution as a natural phenomenon (inspired by Spencer-Lamarck) with the probabilistic and selective principles of Darwinian evolution; c) James departs from the philosophical problem of intentionality and mental causality to propose a natural theory for the origin of thought as a source of variability, and conscience as a selection agent and efficient cause of habits formation duringt the ontogenesis of organisms; d) James defines two processes for psychogenesis (random variation and adaptation), whose origins are phylogenetic and ontogenetic, respectively; and e) It proposes a material basis (nervous system) and a causal principle (i.e. consciousness forming habits from the selection of reflex instincts and actions) to deal with the evolutionary origin of consciousness as a biological function. We conclude that the Principles of Psychology written by William James incorporates evolutionary ideas that are not exclusively Darwinian.and that James appropriates this matrix of influences and proposes an original enterprise for psychological science, integrating a new probabilistic-selective causal principle, a psychobiological mechanic for consciousness as a unified agent and a biological function, and a comparative perspective that would allow the study of psychological functions in nonhuman animals given the factual generality of zoological evolution.

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“…A justificativa para essa escolha é dupla. Em primeiro lugar, os referidos autores figuram entre os mais eminentes representantes da psicologia norte-americana nas primeiras décadas do século XX (Catania, 1999;Ferreri, 2006;Haggbloom et al, 2002;Heidbreder, 1981Heidbreder, /1933Knight, 1953). Além disso, eles foram citados nominalmente por Watson em sua crítica àquilo que entendia como "velha psicologia".…”

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O impacto da obra de J. B. Watson na psicologia norte-americana: Alguns parâmetros de comparação

2018

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O impacto da obra de J. B. Watson tem sido explorado na historiografia da psicologia. Neste âmbito, destacam-se estudos que utilizam como método a análise bibliométrica. Tais pesquisas, no entanto, não utilizam parâmetros comparativos que possam indicar de forma mais precisa o grau de impacto daquela obra. O presente estudo busca preencher tal lacuna por meio de uma análise bibliométrica comparativa das referências às obras de Watson e outros três relevantes psicólogos do período: Edward B. Titchener, Edward L. Thorndike e William James. A pesquisa foi realizada em cinco importantes periódicos norte-americanos da área, entre os anos 1903 e 1923 – uma década antes e uma década após a publicação do Manifesto Behaviorista. Os resultados permitem concluir que, embora não possa ser tomada propriamente como um marco revolucionário, a obra de Watson teve, na década posterior à publicação do Manifesto Behaviorista (1914-1923), um impacto próximo ao de Titchener e maior do que o de Thorndike, ainda que distante da influência exercida por James.

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The Permanent Contribution of William James to Psychology*

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Reevaluating the initial impact of John Broadus Watson on American psychology: The necessity of comparative parameters

Reevaluating the initial impact of John Broadus Watson on American psychology: The necessity of comparative parameters

Evolutionary Ideas and the Naturalization of Mind in William James

O impacto da obra de J. B. Watson na psicologia norte-americana: Alguns parâmetros de comparação

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