Abstract
In 1927, William McDougall published his first report on a series of experiments designed to test the Lamarckian hypothesis of acquired traits. Three succeeding papers were published in 1930, 1933, and 1938. A series of attempted replications by others extended these experiments into the 1950s. These reports provide a commentary on the Lamarckian hypothesis, the emergent neo-Darwinism, and the fallibility of experiments in testing hypotheses. Moreover, because of their centrality for McDougall’s “purposive behaviorism,” they provide a reflective picture of William McDougall as an important and controversial figure in psychology.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
AGAR, W. E., DRUMMOND, F. H., & TIEGS, O. W. (1935). A first report on a test of McDougall’s Lamarckian experiment on the training of rats. Journal of Experimental Biology, 12, 191–211.
AGAR, W. E., DRUMMOND, F. H., & TIEGS, O. W. (1942). Second report on a test of McDougall’s Lamarckian experiment on the training of rats. Journal of Experimental Biology, 19, 158–167.
AGAR, W. E., DRUMMOND, F. H., & TIEGS, O. W. (1948). Third report on a test of McDougall’s Lamarckian experiment on the training of rats. Journal of Experimental Biology, 25, 103–122.
AGAR, W. E. (the late), DRUMMOND, F. H., TIEGS, O. W., & GUNSON, M. M. (1954). Fourth (final) report on a test of McDougall’s Lamarckian experiment on the training of rats. Journal of Experimental Biology, 31, 307–312.
BARNETT, S. A. (1981). Modern ethology New York: Oxford Press.
BORING, E. G. (1950). A history of experimental psychology (2nd ed.). New York: Appleton-Century-Croft.
BRENNAN, J. (1986). History and systems of psychology (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
CREW, F. A. E. (1936). A repetition of McDougall’s Lamarckian experiment. Journal of Genetics, 33, 61–101.
FULLER, J., & THOMSON, W. (1960). Behavior genetics. New York: John Wiley.
HEIDBREDER, E. (1939). William McDougall and social psychology. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 34, 150–160.
HERGENHAHN, B. R. (1986). An introduction of the history of psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
HOTHERSALL, D. (1984). History of psychology New York: Random House.
LEAHY, T. (1980). A history of psychology Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
LUNDIN, R. (1986). Theories and systems of psychology (3rd ed.). Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath.
McCLEARN, G. (1964). The inheritance of behavior. In L. Postman (Ed.), Psychology in the making (pp. 142–152). New York: Albert Knopf.
McDOUGALL, W. (1927). An experiment for the testing of the hypothesis of Lamarck. British Journal of Psychology, 17, 267–304.
McDOUGALL, W. (1930a). A second report on a Lamarckian experiment. British Journal of Psychology, 20, 201–218.
MCDOUGALL, W. (1930b). William McDougall. In C. Murchison (Ed.), Psychology in autobiography (pp. 191–223). Worcester, MA: Clark University Press.
McDOUGALL, W. (1938). Fourth report on a Lamarckian experiment. British Journal of Psychology, 28, 365–395.
MUNN, N. (1950). Handbook of psychological research on the rat. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin.
MURRAY, D. (1986). A history of western psychology. Englewoods Cliff, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
PAVLOV, I. (1923). New researchs on conditioned reflexes. Science, 58, 359–361.
RHINE, J., & McDOUGALL, W. (1933). Third report on a Lamarckian Experiment. British Journal of Psychology, 24, 213–233.
ROBACK, A. A. (1952). A history of American psychology (rev. ed.). New York: Collier Books.
ROBINSON, D. (1984). An intellectual history of psychology (rev. ed.). New York: Macmillan.
SCHULTZ, D. (1981). A history of modern psychology. New York: Academic Press.
WATSON, J. B. (1906). The need of an experimental station for the study of certain problems in animal behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 3, 149–155.
WATSON, J. B., & McDOUGALL, W. (1929). The battle of behaviorism. New York: Norton.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Webb, W.B. William McDougall’s Lamarckian Experiments. Psychol Rec 39, 159–176 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395060
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395060