Beyond a String around the Finger: Creative Self-Management

A reminder-string around the finger surely wasn’t the first self-management technique, but it may be the best-known (regardless of whether or not anyone really does that anymore). Self-management is…

Measurement: Friend or Foe?

It seems that the world is becoming obsessed with measurement.  We are measuring steps, heart rate, calories, sleep—you name it and there is a device to measure it. People are going to waste a…

Strrrrrrrrrrrretch Goals

For those unfamiliar with them, stretch goals are the practice in business, sports, and personal life of progressively increasing the targets expected of a person or team. If I am a salesperson and…

Pet Projects

A lot of really interesting science has been undertaken using animals that either are naturally part of our home life or, in a few cases, have been specially adopted and adapted to the scientist’s…

The Key to Making Resolutions Stick Is Strength in Numbers

Ah, the New Year has arrived—our chance to hit the reset button.  This year is sure to be better…we resolve to get fit, be a better parent, heck, even be a better boss.  For many managers a…

Holiday Thoughts from Mr. Sam Walton

The following is a copy of an actual letter sent by Sam Walton of Wal-Mart to his managers. It was sent to me by an impassioned client who wanted to thank us for bringing the science of behavior into…

Behavioral Hiccups and Other Manifestations of Change

Behavior analysis seems to me uniquely positioned for studying change. Indeed, our most basic research method is all about change. We first establish a baseline in which the behavior under study is…

Behavior, Automatic Reinforcement, and Rudolph’s Red Nose

The legend of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was revealed in 1939 by Robert L. May. It went truly viral when cowboy/singer Gene Autrey first recorded that song we all know, in 1949. Never answered,…

Guest Commentary: Why Thoughts Aren't Causes

The Aubrey Daniels Institute is pleased to share the following commentary by Dr. Lee Hulbert Williams, Deputy Head of Department and Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of…

Targeting the Behavioral Stream

A while ago, I found myself in a lovely restaurant in a small town in Belgium with a close colleague and his wife. We had enjoyed cocktails, a delightful dinner, a bottle of wine, and lots of bottled…

A Review of "Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness" by Alva Noe

Philosopher Alva Noë tackles the age-old question of "what is consciousness?" in this book. Many astute observers of the psychological scene from William James to B. F. Skinner have weighed in on the…

Turkey in the Oven or in the Skinner Box?

Think about it. You can put a turkey in the oven only once. The pleasure for the turkey is over immediately (well, realistically some days before), and for you not long after the Thanksgiving feast.…

By the People—Not By the Numbers

While banking is a numbers-driven profession, watching the numbers like a hawk and pouncing when employees fall short is not the best way to boost financial results. Instead of merely tracking…

Mistakes Companies Make when End-of-Year Approaches

About this time of year, leaders and managers begin the ritual, asking themselves, “Have I met my goals for the year? Have I used up my budget? Am I prepared to declare my needs and wants for…

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…