The famous behavioral psychologist John B. Watson once said:

Question

"Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in, and I'll guarantee to take any one--at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select: doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations and race of his ancestors."

Is such a thing hypothetically possible? If so, how could it be done?

Answer 1

Watson seems to be saying that nature has no place in our development -- that it's all nurture. Most experts believe that our personality and talents are shaped by both our heredity and our experiences.

It's hard to believe that Watson's proposal is possible.

Answer 2

You have left out the last sentence of Watson's statement, but it is often done. Watson developed the S-R explaination for behavior, which later , under Kochs, and then Skinner, worked into the S-0-R model.
We all learn from experience, spaced over time. Some of us learn faster than others, using less repetitions, and some of us take more. Some of us learn to use inference based on experience. Watson was a pioneer in understanding the brain, and its influence on behavior. But the brain itself is based on genetics, the idea for which neuroscience based that on was many years after Watson.

Answer 3

Within the range of restrictions of genetics (nature), our nurture determines our development. As the two previous tutors have indicated, the best explanation for our development and behavior is an interaction of these factors.

I hope this helps a little more. Thanks for asking.

Answer 4

"How are a cat and a dog alike? An answer to this question requires: