Edward Tolman
Early Life and Education
Edward Chace Tolman was born on April 14, 1886, in Newton, Massachusetts. He was the second of three sons of George Eliot Tolman and Laura Chace. His father was a businessman and his mother was a homemaker. Tolman's early education took place in West Newton English High School, where he developed an interest in mathematics and physics.
In 1909, Tolman graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a degree in electrochemistry. However, his interest shifted towards psychology after reading William James' "Principles of Psychology". This led him to pursue a doctorate in psychology at Harvard, under the supervision of Hugo Münsterberg.
Career and Contributions to Psychology
Tolman began his career as an instructor at Northwestern University in 1912. However, he soon moved to the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) in 1918, where he spent the rest of his career.
Tolman is best known for his work in cognitive psychology and his theory of cognitive maps. He proposed that learning involves the acquisition of knowledge, which he referred to as "sign-gestalt-expectancy". This theory was a departure from the behaviorist view that learning is a mere change in observable behavior.
Tolman's most famous experiment involved rats navigating through mazes. He found that rats could learn the layout of a maze and navigate it without any rewards or punishments, suggesting the existence of cognitive maps. This experiment challenged the prevailing behaviorist view and contributed significantly to the development of cognitive psychology.
Tolman also made significant contributions to the field of motivation. He proposed the concept of "latent learning", where learning occurs without any obvious reinforcement. He also introduced the idea of "intervening variables" to explain the relationship between stimuli and responses.
Later Life and Legacy
Tolman continued his research at UC Berkeley until his retirement in 1954. He passed away on November 19, 1959. His work has had a lasting impact on the field of psychology, particularly in the areas of cognitive psychology and learning theory.
Tolman's cognitive map theory has been applied in various fields, including artificial intelligence and robotics. His work on latent learning and intervening variables has also influenced the development of cognitive-behavioral therapies.