Antecedents of operationism

a case history in radical positivism

Tim B. Rogers

pp. 57-65

in: Charles W. Tolman (ed), Positivism in psychology, Berlin, Springer, 1992

Abstract

The early 1930s was a trying time for pretty well everyone living in North America. The impact of the depression was being felt throughout the continent, creating conditions where people were looking for almost any kind of new deal that would turn things around and provide a sense of future and hope. The academy was not immune to such desires, and it was during this dark time in our continent's history that psychology embraced one of the most radical forms of positivism ever practiced—operationism. In this essay, I hope to explore this interesting time in our discipline as a special case history in the positivist movement. Emphasis is upon an exploration of some of the antecedent ideas that primed the emergence of the dogma. This examination shows how operationism, as a special case of positivism, emerged as an interaction among philosophical, methodological, political and personal factors, culminating in a whole family of philosophies—not just a single hegemony. Some contemporary issues implied by this legacy are also mentioned.