An Updated Bibliography of John B. Watson

Strapasson (2020) built a master list of every paper John B. Watson ever published. The list holds 209 items, from 1903 to 1958. It gives the full citation for each piece so you can find it fast.

The author checked old journals, books, and newspaper columns. The goal was one-stop shopping for anyone who teaches, writes, or speaks about behaviorism’s roots.

The final file is a free, ready-to-copy bibliography. It sorts Watson’s work by year and labels each item as article, book, or book chapter. No new data were collected; this is a map, not an experiment.

Sellers et al. (2025) trace BACB ethics codes back to 1998. Strapasson (2020) reaches further back, to Watson in 1903. Together they give you a full timeline: founder to modern ethics.

Jennings et al. (2022) review recent intraverbal studies. When you need to show where “verbal behavior” began, pair their modern list with Strapasson’s Watson list. Watson’s 1919 speech paper is the seed; Jennings shows how the tree grew.

Demello et al. (1992) give a 24-item checklist for auditing written behavior plans. Strapasson gives a 209-item checklist for auditing historical claims. Both are audit tools—one for programs, one for papers.

Next time you teach Foundations, open Strapasson (2020) instead of hunting Google Scholar. Drop the exact Watson citation into your slide. Your students see the primary source, and you save ten minutes. Keep the file in your reference folder; it’s the fastest way to add historical weight to talks, papers, or supervision meetings.