Understanding Behaviorism

Understanding Behaviorism is a classic textbook that explains the basis of behavior analysis and its application to human problems in a scholarly but accessible manner.

• Now in its third edition, the text has been substantially updated to include the latest developments over the last decade in behaviour analysis, evolutionary theory, and cultural evolution theory

• The only book available that explains behavior analysis and applies it to philosophical and practical problems, written by one of today's best-known and most highly respected behaviorists

• Explores ancient concepts such as purpose, language, knowledge, and thought, as well as applying behavioural thinking to contemporary social issues like freedom, democracy, and culture

• Part of the new evolutionary perspective for understanding individual behavior in general and culture in particular - culminates with practical approaches to improving the lives of all humanity

Autorentext
William M. Baum is Professor Emeritus at the University of New Hampshire and a Research Associate at University of California, Davis. He taught for seven years at Harvard University and for more than twenty years at the University of New Hampshire. He has published over one hundred journal articles. These have presented quantitative laboratory research, theoretical contributions, and philosophical contributions. His research interests include choice, cultural evolution, behavioural processes, and philosophy of behaviour.

Klappentext
Understanding Behaviorism explains the basis of a scientific understanding of behavior and behavior analysis, and the application of a behavioral perspective to human problems, in a scholarly but accessible manner. It begins by exploring whether behavior is free or determined, relating behaviorism to pragmatism, and showing how thoughts, feelings, and other mental events may be treated scientifically. Highly respected behaviorist William Baum then introduces the basic concepts of behavior analysis, and uses them to discuss ancient topics such as purpose, knowledge, language, and thought - as well as contemporary social issues such as freedom, responsibility, government, and culture. This classic text has been substantially updated for its third edition, incorporating new developments that have occurred over the last decade.

Zusammenfassung
Understanding Behaviorism is a classic textbook that explains the basis of behavior analysis and its application to human problems in a scholarly but accessible manner.

• Now in its third edition, the text has been substantially updated to include the latest developments over the last decade in behaviour analysis, evolutionary theory, and cultural evolution theory
• The only book available that explains behavior analysis and applies it to philosophical and practical problems, written by one of today's best-known and most highly respected behaviorists
• Explores ancient concepts such as purpose, language, knowledge, and thought, as well as applying behavioural thinking to contemporary social issues like freedom, democracy, and culture
• Part of the new evolutionary perspective for understanding individual behavior in general and culture in particular culminates with practical approaches to improving the lives of all humanity

Inhalt

Preface to the Third Edition xv

Acknowledgements xvii

Part I What is Behaviorism? 1

1 Behaviorism: Definition and History 3

Historical Background 3

From Philosophy to Science 3

Objective Psychology 6

Comparative Psychology 7

Early Behaviorism 8

Free Will Versus Determinism 10

Definitions 10

Arguments For and Against Free Will 11

Social Arguments 12

Aesthetic Arguments 13

Folk Psychology 15

Summary 15

Further Reading 17

Keyterms 17

2 Behaviorism as Philosophy of Science 19

Realism versus Pragmatism 19

Realism 19

The Objective Universe 20

Discovery and Truth 20

Sense Data and Subjectivity 20

Explanation 22

Pragmatism 22

Science and Experience 24

Conceptual Economy 25

Explanation and Description 27

Radical Behaviorism and Pragmatism 28

Summary 31

Further Reading 32

Keyterms 32

3 Public, Private, Natural, and Fictional 33

Mentalism 33

Public and Private Events 33

Natural Events 34

Natural, Mental, and Fictional 35

Objections to Mentalism 37

Autonomy: Mental Causes Obstruct Inquiry 37

Superfluity: Explanatory Fictions are Uneconomical 38

Category Mistakes 40

Ryle and the ParaMechanical Hypothesis 41

Rachlin's Molar Behaviorism 42

Private Events 46

Private Behavior 46

SelfKnowledge and Consciousness 49

Summary 52

Further Reading 54

Keyterms 55

Part II A Scientific Model of Behavior 57

4 Evolutionary Theory and Reinforcement 59

Evolutionary History 59

Natural Selection 60

Reflexes and Fixed Action Patterns 62

Reflexes 62

Fixed Action Patterns 62

Respondent Conditioning 64

Reinforcers and Punishers 66

Operant Behavior 66

Physiological Factors 68

Overview of Phylogenetic Influences 70

History of Reinforcement 70

Selection by Consequences 71

The Law of Effect 71

Shaping and Natural Selection 71

Historical Explanations 75

Summary 77

Further Reading 78

Keyterms 78

5 Purpose and Reinforcement 81

History and Function 81

Using Historical Explanations 82

History Versus Immediate Cause 82

Gaps of Time 82

Functional Units 83

Species as Functional Units 84

Activities as Functional Units 84

Three Meanings of Purpose 86

Purpose as Function 86

Purpose as Cause 87

Purposive Behavior 88

Purposive Machines 89

Selection by Consequences 90

Creativity 90

Purpose as Feeling: SelfReports 92

Talking About the Future 92

Talking About the Past 92

Feelings as ByProducts 93

Summary 94

Further Reading 95

Keyterms 96

6 Stimulus Control and Knowledge 97

Stimulus Control 97

Discriminative Stimuli 98

Extended Sequences and Discriminative Stimuli 100

Discrimination 101

Knowledge 102

Procedural Knowledge: Knowing How 103

Declarative Knowledge: Knowing About 105

Declarative Knowledge and Stimulus Control 105

What is a Lie? 106

SelfKnowledge 107

Public Versus Private Stimuli 107

Introspection 110

The Behavior of Scientists 111

Observation and Discrimination 111 Scientific Knowledge 112</p...