Purpose and Cognition Edward Tolman and the Transformation of American Psychology

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.

Preface; Introduction; 1. Growing up in New England; 2. The Harvard milieu; 3. Out West; 4. A new formula for behaviorism; 5. Purposive behaviorism; 6. The turn toward operationism; 7. 'A concern for social events'; 8. Cognitive maps; 9. The loyalty oath; 10. The legacy of Edward Chace Tolman; References; Index.

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.