John B. Watson is often referred to as the "father of behaviorism." His view that psychology was the science of observable behaviors had a strong influence, and the behavioral perspective rose to dominate the field during the first half of the twentieth century.

Watson's views are often regarded as behaviorism at its most extreme. At one point, he famously stated,"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 beggarman and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors." Learn more about his life, career, and theories in this brief biography of John Watson.