John Paul Scott (December 17, 1909—March 26, 2000) was an American
behavior geneticist and
comparative psychologist
Comparative psychology refers to the scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of non-human animals, especially as these relate to the phylogenetic history, adaptive significance, and development of behavior. Research in this area addr ...
known for his research into the development of social behavior (especially
aggression
Aggression is overt or covert, often harmful, social interaction with the intention of inflicting damage or other harm upon another individual; although it can be channeled into creative and practical outlets for some. It may occur either reacti ...
), which he pursued through studies in animal models including the
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
. Scott & his collaborator
John L. Fuller
John Langworthy Fuller (July 22, 1910 – June 8, 1992) was an American biologist and early pioneer of behavior genetics
Behavioural genetics, also referred to as behaviour genetics, is a field of scientific research that uses genetic met ...
are memorialised in the
Fuller-Scott prize, offered annually by the
Behavior Genetics Association
The Behavior Genetics Association (BGA) is a learned society established in 1970 and which promotes research into the connections between heredity and behavior, both human and animal. Its members support education and training in behavior genetic ...
.
Education and Career
He received a B.Sc. zoology from the
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...
, studying under his father, John W. Scott. After taking out a Rhodes Scholarship at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
under E. B. Ford, he completed a Ph.D. in Psychology from the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
, where he studied under renowned scholar of genetics and evolution,
Sewall Wright
Sewall Green Wright FRS(For) Honorary FRSE (December 21, 1889March 3, 1988) was an American geneticist known for his influential work on evolutionary theory and also for his work on path analysis. He was a founder of population genetics alongsi ...
.
Scott's first academic position was at
Wabash College
Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cur ...
, where he chaired the department of Zoology from 1935 to 1945. As his
sociobiological
Sociobiology is a field of biology that aims to examine and explain social behavior in terms of evolution. It draws from disciplines including psychology, ethology, anthropology, evolution, zoology, archaeology, and population genetics. Within t ...
research developed, he moved to the
Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. Here he chaired the division of behavior studies, continuing to develop his comparative approach, combining animal behavior in the service of understanding and ameliorating human problems.
Moving to
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...
, he took up a Regents Professorship in Psychology, and founded the Center for the Study of Social Behavior.
His research was wide-ranging, creative, and characterised by the diversity of species he used to gain insights into social behavior: from inbred house mice, to studying leadership and dominance in goats, and social behavior and organization in sheep.
Achievements
Scott's main published output lay in works on animal behavior, and, in particular, the behavior of dogs, crowned by his seminal "''Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog"''.
He was a fellow of the AAAS, ABS, and APA, and was elected president of three societies (International Society for Developmental Psychobiology,
Behavior Genetics Association
The Behavior Genetics Association (BGA) is a learned society established in 1970 and which promotes research into the connections between heredity and behavior, both human and animal. Its members support education and training in behavior genetic ...
, and the
International Society for Research on Aggression). Scott was a co-founder of the International Society for Research on Aggression and the
Animal Behavior Society
The Animal Behavior Society is an international non-profit scientific society that encourages and promotes the professional study of animal behavior. It has open membership and also provides a certification and directory for animal behaviorists. T ...
. The Behavior Genetic Association awarded him its highest honour, the
Dobzhansky
Theodosius Grigorievich Dobzhansky (russian: Феодо́сий Григо́рьевич Добржа́нский; uk, Теодо́сій Григо́рович Добржа́нський; January 25, 1900 – December 18, 1975) was a prominent ...
Award for Eminent Research.
Selected publications
*Scott, John Paul (1958). ''Animal Behavior'' (2nd edition 1975)
*Scott, John Paul (1958). ''Aggression'' (2nd Edition 1975)
*Scott, John Paul (1965)
''Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog''
References
External links
*
Sarah Fisher Scottat LC Authorities, with 4 records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, John P.
1909 births
2000 deaths
20th-century American zoologists
University of Chicago alumni
Alumni of the University of Oxford
Behavior geneticists
Bowling Green State University faculty
University of Wyoming alumni
Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Fellows of the American Psychological Association
Wabash College faculty
American Rhodes Scholars