Purpose and Cognition: Edward Tolman and the Transformation of American Psychology - Softcover

Carroll, David W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1107553156 ISBN 13: 9781107553156

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2018

Synopsis

This book discusses the development of Edward Tolman's purposive behaviourism from the 1920s to the 1950s, highlighting the tension between his references to cognitive processes and the dominant behaviourist trends. It shows how Tolman incorporated concepts from European scholars, including Egon Brunswik and the Gestalt psychologists, to justify a more purposive form of behaviourism and how the theory evolved in response to the criticisms of his contemporaries. The manuscript also discusses Tolman's political activities, culminating in his role in the California loyalty oath controversy in the 1950s. Tolman was involved in a number of progressive causes during his lifetime, activities that drew the attention of both state legislators in California and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It treats Tolman's theoretical and political activities as emanating from the same source, a desire to understand the learning process in a scientific manner and to apply these concepts to improve the human condition.

About this title

Book Description

This book will be of value to psychologists and historians interested in twentieth-century American psychology. It discusses how Edward Tolman drew from European psychology (particularly Gestalt theory) to promote the concept of the cognitive map. His story is an essential contribution to our understanding of America, and American psychology, at mid-century.

About the Author

David W. Carroll is professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, Superior. He is the author of Psychology of Language, 5th edition (2007) and Families of Children with Developmental Disabilities (2013), and is a member of the Association for Psychological Science, the Society for the History of Psychology, and the Society for General Psychology.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1107553156
• ISBN 13: 9781107553156
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 282