Behaviorism vs The principles of psychology: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Psychology

Behaviorism John B. Watson · 1924 ★★★★☆ 3.8 289 pages · ≈ 5 h 21 m · Challenging

While this volume is written as a series of lectures and in a somewhat free and easy style, every effort has been made to present facts in unmutilated form and to state theoretical positions with accuracy. In…

Reference

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The principles of psychology William James · 1890 ★★★★☆ 3.9 897 pages · ≈ 16 h 37 m · Demanding

The Principles of Psychology is a monumental text in the history of psychology, written by William James and published in 1890. There were four methods in James' psychology: analysis (i.e. the logical criticism of…

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
Behaviorism is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 16 for The principles of psychology.
The principles of psychology has the widest readership — 281 ratings behind its score.
The principles of psychology reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 13690 times.

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How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Behaviorism ≈ 5h vs 16h for The principles of psychology New to the genre? Behaviorism Challenging vs Demanding for The principles of psychology Want the literary heavyweight? The principles of psychology cited 13690 times vs 94 for Behaviorism

Scores by source

	Behaviorism	The principles of psychology
Goodreads	3.8 (114)	4.0 (281)
Hardcover	—	3.0 (1)
Apple Books	—	3.0 (10)
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Reception

	Behaviorism	The principles of psychology
Ratings	114	281
Editions	46	30
Citations	94	13690
Film adaptations	1	—
Wikipedia attention	7883	1894
Pages	289	897
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Behaviorism or The principles of psychology?

The principles of psychology has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The principles of psychology 3.9/5, Behaviorism 3.8/5).

Which is shorter to read: Behaviorism or The principles of psychology?

Behaviorism is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Behaviorism (289 pages, ≈ 5 h 21 m); The principles of psychology (897 pages, ≈ 16 h 37 m).

Which is harder to read: Behaviorism or The principles of psychology?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Behaviorism: Challenging; The principles of psychology: Demanding.