William Samuel Verplanck Junior (January 16, 1916 in
Plainfield, New Jersey – September 30, 2002 in
Knoxville,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
) was an American psychologist. He conducted a series of significant experiments in the fields of
ethology
Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objectiv ...
,
experimental psychology
Experimental psychology refers to work done by those who apply experimental methods to psychological study and the underlying processes. Experimental psychologists employ human participants and animal subjects to study a great many topics, in ...
, and especially in the field of
radical behaviorism
Radical behaviorism is a "philosophy of the science of behavior" developed by B. F. Skinner. It refers to the philosophy behind behavior analysis, and is to be distinguished from methodological behaviorism—which has an intense emphasis on ...
. After compiling a review of the writings and research of
B.F. Skinner
Burrhus Frederic Skinner (March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990) was an American psychologist, behaviorist, author, inventor, and social philosopher. He was a professor of psychology at Harvard University from 1958 until his retirement in 1974.
...
for the 1950 Dartmouth conference, culminating in the publication of Modern Learning Theory, Verplanck adopted the psychological and philosophical stance of
Interbehaviorism - a position which he maintained throughout the remainder of his career.
Written works
*Verplanck, W.S. (1942) The development of discrimination in a simple locomotor habit. ''Journal of Experimental Psychology, 31'', 441–464.
*Berry, R.N., Verplanck, W.S., and Graham, C.H. (1943) The reversal of discrimination in a simple running habit. ''Journal of Experimental Psychology, 32'', 325–334.
*Verplanck, W.S. (1946) ''The effects of paredrine on night vision test performance.'' (Bur. Med. Surg., 1944; Publ. Bd., N. 23049) Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. Commerce, 14.
*Verplanck, W.S. (1946) ''Comparative study of adaptometers''. (Bur. Med. Surg., 1942, Publ. Bd. No. 23050) Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. Commerce, 34.
*Verplanck, W.S. (1946) ''Night vision testing on members of crew of the U.S.S. New Jersey'' (Bur. Med. Surg., 1943; Publ. Bd. No. 23072) Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. Commerce, 9.
References
5. http://verplanck.interconductual.com/
20th-century American psychologists
1916 births
2002 deaths
{{US-psychologist-stub