Finding aid for the John Paul Scott papers

Biography of John Paul Scott

John Paul Scott was born in Kansas City, Montana on December 17, 1909. Scott was an eminent comparative psychologist who studied the development of social behavior of animals to help solve human social problems, particularly aggression. As an undergraduate he studied zoology at the University of Wyoming under his father, John W. Scott, and later as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University under E. B. Ford. He completed his Ph.D. in genetics at the University of Chicago under the guidance of Sewall Wright, a prominent figure in the development of genetic theory of evolution. Upon graduating, Scott moved to Wabash College where he was the chair of the department of Zoology from 1935 to 1945; it was here where he did his first research on aggression and sociobiology. In 1945, Scott went to the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, where he was chair of the division of behavior studies and continued to carry out a productive research program on animal behavior and its applications to human problems. He continued this work at Bowling Green State University where he founded the Center for the Study of Social Behavior and became a Regents Professor of Psychology. Throughout his career he published numerous articles and books on animal behavior, particularly dogs, and its application to understanding human problems such as aggression. His major contributions include Animal Behavior (1958, 2nd edition 1975), Aggression (1958, 2nd Edition 1975) and Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog, (l965). In addition to his prolific writing, Scott was also involved in various professional organizations. He served as president of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology, Behavior Genetics Association, and the International Society for Research and Aggression, respectively. Scott also helped to found the Animal Behavior Society and the International Society for Research on Aggression. He was a fellow of the AAAS, ABS, APA, and received the Behavior Genetic Society's Dobzhansky Award for Eminent Research. John Paul Scott died on March 26, 2000.

Scope and Content

Scott’s papers contain his extensive research on animal behavior, genetics, and aggression from the 1940s to late 1990s. A unique aspect of this collection is the possession of draft revisions and editorial commentary for several of Scott’s manuscripts, as well as unpublished works authored by Scott. Furthermore, the Biographical Files series contains his autobiography and personal reflections concerning his career. In addition to these materials, this collection contains notes, reviews of his work, syllabi of courses, and presentations given by Scott throughout his career. The collection also contains several documents related to his work at the Jackson Laboratory and his involvement with the Seville conference. Also present are documents that map Scott’s involvement with professional affiliations such as the American Psychological Association and others as a consultant, member, editor, officer, and acknowledged scholar. This collection also contains several films of wildlife that are stored in the AHAP Moving Images collection. Reel-to-reel audio tapes, cassette tapes, and IBM-PC diskettes on various topics are stored in AHAP digital collections. Several photographs of Scott’s animal research, Jackson Laboratory, and academic activities such as conferences and graduations are also stored in the AHAP Still Images collection.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Restrictions on Access

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Various awards and certificates are located in oversized stacks Box M2036.

Subject Headings

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

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Preferred Citation

Cite as: [identification of item], [folder number, box number], Archives of the History of American Psychology, The Drs. Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology - The University of Akron

Acquisition Information

Processing Information

Updated by Samantha Hurst, October 2021. Updated by Dillon Piorkowski, July 2022

Detailed Description of The Collection