For the goal of psychological explanation, he would substitute the forward-looking prediction and control of behavior, modeled on physics. In all, he was largely successful.
Classical behaviorism is empiricist, atomist, peripheralist, associationist, materialist, and determinist. All problems are to be defined in terms of stimulus and response. Its goal is to predict and control human behavior and to adjust people to society. Its orientation is toward practical effects rather than abstract knowledge. It seeks to oust all other forms of psychology and then go on to refashion society in its image(Leahey, 1980).
Because of the emphasis on the precise measurement of overt behavior, Watson called the new school of thought, founded on his principles and those of Pavlov, behaviorism. Behaviorism continues to be an important force in psychology today in its emphasis on overt behavior and learning, but many contemporary behaviorists now believe that it's also important to study human consciousness(Lahey, 1983).
Sir Francis Galton.
(1822-1911).
And His Contributions to Psychology.
Many of Sir Francis Galton's wide-ranging investigations were psychological or sociological. Galton made important contributions to the growing psychology of adaptation. Wundt wanted to understand only the normal, adult mind. Galton inquired into any human mind. He broadened psychology to encompass topics excluded by Wundt. .
Galton devised a number of important methods used by the psychology of adaptation. He was the first to systematically apply statistics to psychological data, and he invented the correlation coefficient. He studied twins to sort out the contributions of nature and nurture to human character, intellect, and behavior. He tried to use indirect behavioral measures (rate of fidgeting) to measure a mental state (boredom). He invented the free association technique of interrogating memory.
