Advertising and Promotion Management Commons^™

Behaviorism's Impact On Advertising: Then And Now, Abigail Bartholomew

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Behaviorism as defined in 1913 by John B. Watson was a science that used repeated, observable human activity to develop hypotheses that would eventually predict and control responses. Through repeated experiments, Watson developed a thorough knowledge of what he defined as base human reactions. Stanley Resor, then president of J. Walter Thompson Agency, hired Watson to promote a partnership between advertising and science, and the subsequent 15 years of Watson’s career included some notable scientific contributions. This study shows that though these outcomes may not have provided many measurable positive results, they set into motion industry-wide change that continued to …