The Status of Behaviorism in Turkey
Note from the Institute: Although behavior analysis started in the United States, it has long been an international enterprise. To give readers an idea of the breadth of our discipline and its impact…
Gull-ture
We are pleased to have as a Behavior Watch guest commentator Jim Cook, a doctoral candidate in behavior analysis at West Virginia University. He takes us to the beach for some observations of unusual…
13 Things that Scare the Devil Out of Me, Revisited
A few years ago I created my own bewitching list of things that scared me. I have dusted off that list and provided an updated view of my top thirteen frightening things. I’m afraid to…
Don’t Ask for a Raise, Part 2: Reality Check
I’m glad to see this topic and the ideas I have shared recently have created such a response. Let me start by saying that I’m not naïve to think that your circumstances will be such that you…
How to Shape a Zombie
Yes, yes, I know that one is supposed to say “How to shape zombie behavior,” but, hey, it’s Halloween and weird things happening are OK. And what could be weirder than thinking about…
Are We Superstitious About "Superstitious" Behavior?
In the spirit of the Halloween season, it seems appropriate to comment on superstitious behavior, the subject of one of B. F. Skinner's best-known scientific papers. He delivered brief presentations…
Why Positive Management Training Should be Part of your Company Wellness Program
Most organizations understand the value in promoting employee health and wellness. Investments are made in wellness centers, gym memberships and weight loss programs. Turns out there is…
Simple and Complex Behavior
It’s not unusual to hear behavior or the circumstances surrounding it described as either “simple” or “complex.” Used to describe our human interactions, these terms often substitute in various ways…
Being Present: Some Observations about “Mindfulness”
The main title of this commentary was one among many New Year’s resolutions that our local coffee shop invited customers to post on its blackboard (yes, a real blackboard in this digital day and age…
Bait and Wait?
In several earlier commentaries, I have discussed different aspects of shaping behavior by reinforcing successive approximations to the target response – essentially a behavior-analytic version of…
Pushing or Pulling Behavior?
Are our actions determined by the past or by the future? We often speak of implementing plans, looking to the future, and having goals in mind. Our behavior is said to have purpose and intention, to…
Anatomy of a Clever Contingency
The government of Slovakia recently was reported (click here for the New York Times report) to have been having great difficulty collecting value-added taxes (basically, a sales tax) from many…
Deliberate Practice Misunderstood: Will Bad Practice Make You Better?
It shouldn't come as a surprise to me that the topic of deliberate practice continues to find its way into the headlines. As a matter of fact, one of my most-read articles is one questioning Dr.…
The NFL Desperately Needs Skills in Changing Behavior that Matters
Over the last two weeks there have been at least 7 cases making the news about domestic abuse by NFL players. This week, there was an NYT editorial on abuse and its justification by too many men…
Reward or Reinforce?
Are we concerned with "rewarding" or "reinforcing" behavior? Does it matter? Although perhaps not the most burning question in behavior analysis, it does bear on some important issues to those who…
Be Careful What You Read, Even if it’s from the NYT
Can it be that only some people like positive reinforcement? The older I get, the more half-truths and unsupported declarations bug me. Nowhere is this more evident to me than the way writers,…
When is Behavior “Adaptive”?
Behavior is said to be selected by its effects, or consequences, in a way that is similar to the selection of physical characteristics occurs in Darwinian natural selection. In both instances,…
Operant Learning is Everywhere
The principles of operant learning are well known. If, for example, you give your dog treats from the dinner table, it is highly likely that, whenever you eat, the forlorn critter will be…
