Introduction to Behavior

Auteur

William M. Baum, PhD, is Emeritus Professor at the University of New Hampshire and Associate Researcher at the 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 100 journal articles presenting laboratory research, theoretical contributions, and philosophical discussions on choice, cultural evolution, behavioral processes, and the philosophy of behavior.

Texte du rabat

A fresh new look at the science of human and nonhuman behavior, focusing on how evolution shapes choices and actions of all kinds Although traditional, reinforcement-based approaches to behavior have proven to be ineffective, the field of applied behavior analysis is alive and well. Introduction to Behavior: An Evolutionary Perspective introduces readers to contemporary perspectives on why people and other organisms do what they do. Examining the concepts of behavior and organism from within an evolutionary framework--including how natural selection influences species-wide tendencies--this book sets a foundation for observing, measuring, and understanding behavior. Founded on up-to-date research and written by one of the leading scholars in the field, this book explores why and when behaviors change (or stay the same), how environmental inputs interact with evolution to produce behavioral outcomes, and how evolutionary theory can be mobilized to explain verbal, social, and cultural behavior phenomena. Filling an important need for a new conceptual framework in basic and applied behavior analysis, Introduction to Behavior trains undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals to study and theorize about behavior through the powerful lens of evolution.

Contenu

Preface ix

1 Organism 1

2 Behavior 9

3 Behavior and Natural Selection 21

4 Covariance 31

5 Measurement 43

6 Stability and Change 55

7 Stimulus 73

8 Choice and Balance 85

9 Verbal Behavior and Rules 103

10 Social Behavior and Culture 121

11 Coda for Instructors 135

Index 141