| View Larger Image | Science And Human Behavior | Paperbackby B.F Skinner (Author)
| List Price: | $20.00 | | Price: | $17.20 | | You Save: | $2.80 (14%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | Free Press | | Page Count: | 461 Pages | | Publication Date: | March 01, 1965 | | Sales Rank: | 164,442th |
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FEATURES | - ISBN13: 9780029290408
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- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 5 reviews)
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Very helpful conceptualization of a science of human behavior by J. Grosser (Tennessee USA)  5 Stars
February 01, 2007
I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) so I am probably biased. Now that that is spelled out, I will write this message: "Science and Human Behavior" is an awesome and enlightening read!
Behaviorism (Behavior Analysis) is a growing field. As more people get comfortable with the idea of a true science of human behavior, we will make strides in predicting and controlling human behavior. In the future, the controllers or nurturers (parents, teachers, coaches, military leaders, politicians, bosses, etc.) will have an evidenced-based science of human behavior to change people in positive ways. Effective checks can also be developed to control the new science of human behavior as B.F. Skinner recommends. This science and knowledge sure beats the haphazard techniques politicians, bosses, etc. use to influence people to do the right behaviors in order to achieve a common goal.
Perhaps some day the nurtured (controlled) and nurturers (controllers) will work together to make the world a better place. People surrender themselves to the controllers with employment, military service, sports team participation and so forth. Why not study those controls scientifically?
(Note: For a historical perspective on Skinner (and Behavior Analysis), I would recommend "Beyond the Box: B.F. Skinner's Technology of Behavior from Laboratory to Life, 1950s-1970s".)
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The truth shall set you beyond free by calmly 5 Stars
April 10, 2004
1/3 of this book covers basic conditioning as seen in all animals, including humans. Much of this was established experimentally with rats and pigeons but the discussion here is in terms of humans. There are no diagrams or pictures in this section, which can get rather dry.The remaining 2/3 of the book covers topics associated more with humans such as thinking, private events, the self, institutions and culture. Skinner refers to institutions such as the government, religions, psychotherapy, economic groups and education as "controlling agencies". His scientific approach of these agencies overlaps the artistic rendering of addictive systems by the very different William Burroughs in "Naked Lunch", but between the two of them one can get a good sense of how one's actions are conditioned.For millenia, for lack of scientific application, speculative systems have been dominate. The Greeks were masters of such systemization, which culminated in "The Enneads" by Plotinus, an amazingly unified and satisfying work consisting almost exclusively of explanatory fictions. Such comfort systems seem to have a strong hold on people. Much of modern psychology is not an advance on "The Enneads". Look at how much of cognitive psychology is speculative, lacking in any experimental confirmation. There is a great opportunity here for you. At this time, half a century after this book's publication, behaviorism is not well supported. To be sure, there are practicing behaviorists and some excellent progress in the application of behavioral analysis. But behaviorism seems to be heavily resisted, as Skinner himself recognized. This book has excited me. Read it and if it indeed excites you, even as a layperson, see what you can do to apply it and to educate others about it. The opportunity is that there is still a lot to learn about how to apply it in our everyday life. This stuff is too important not to embrace...well, see what you think.
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Critics ignorant of pragmatic value by B. Kowal (Pullman, Washington USA) 5 Stars
June 03, 2003
Harsh criticism of Skinner has typically come from arm chair philosophers more concerned with sounding progressive than with helping or understanding people. Science and Human Behavior has contributed and continues to contribute to valuable application and research in Psychology. A standing challenge to any critic would be to find a book that can match Science and Human Behavior's contributions to the application of science for the welfare of humanity.
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The weaknesses of behaviorism are apparent here by M McVey (Oakland, CA)  3 Stars
March 23, 2003
BF's Skinner's early work in operant conditioning through laboratory research on animals is generally regarded as a lasting and significant contribution to science and psychology. However, Skinner's works on human behavior, including this one, attempt to generalize to all human behavior the model he developed and used to predict and control animal behavior under highly controlled conditions.In Science and Human Behavior, Skinner repeatedly offers, as the reason for a given behavior's occurrence, the explanation that it is "reinforced," and advocates that we abandon the traditional discourse used to explain human behavior through reference to intention, desire, will, thoughts, and feelings. Instead, Skinner argues that a science of behavior can improve upon such explanations by using the jargon of operant conditioning theory.In operant conditioning theory, "reinforcement" is the process whereby a behavior is strengthened by the process of associating it with a consequence, and Skinner shows little regard for the precise technical meaning of this word when he makes many uses of this term and its derivations (reinforce, reinforcer, reinforcing). For example, he writes the following: "Education is a profession, the members of which engage in education primarily because of economic reinforcement." It is hard to see what this assertion means, as the behavioral antecedents to "economic reinforcement" that constitute the "profession" of "education" remain undefined. Furthermore, such an assertion is comically out of touch with the reality that many teachers, who could make much more money in other professions, might object to having their primary motive for teaching characterized this way. Perhaps what is meant here is that "economic reinforcement" (money) strengthens the "behavior" of teaching more efficiently than any other reinforcer, in which case it seems that Skinner is applying a truism-that people work when they get paid for it, and stop working when they don't. Whatever the case, such statements as this one, which litter this book, seem remarkably short of any scientific authority or interest.One might argue that since virtually all of the haphazardly placed illustrative applications of his jargon to actual human behavior are as brief and platitudinous as the one mentioned, they shouldn't be taken literally, but seen as rhetorical devices in service of explaining his conceptual model. But some might wish that Skinner took seriously the burden of demonstrating that what he asserts is both verified by the scientific method, and a non-trivial improvement on what is already known. In absence of either, this book is mostly an amusing glimpse at an outdated approach to psychology that simply has not delivered on its promise to find mechanisms for the effective control of human behavior, unless you count its contribution to the management of prisons, mental hospitals, and other highly controlled environments that approximate the inhumane conditions under which Skinner's lab rats lived.Therefore, if you are interested, like me, in understanding the roots of Skinner's influence and an introduction to how he applies his basic concepts to human behavior, this book is a very profitable read. If you are looking for a work of actual scientific merit, this book has little to recommend.
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A classic. Not for everyone 5 Stars
April 25, 2000
This is agreat book for anyone who has a good understanding of behavioral psychology. If you do, this book will help explain the concepts employed by psychologists today. It also gives the reader a good feel for the attitudes that prevailed in psychology in the 1950's. If you do not have a strong background in this area, I would suggest reading one of Skinner's later books first.
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SIMILAR PRODUCTS |
| About Behaviorism
by B.F. Skinner (Author)
The basic book about the controversial philosophy known as behaviorism, written by its leading exponent. Bibliography, index.
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| Verbal Behavior
by B. F. Skinner (Author)
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| Beyond Freedom & Dignity
by B. F. Skinner (Author)
In this profound and profoundly controversial work, a landmark of 20th-century thought originally published in 1971, B. F. Skinner makes his definitive statement about humankind and society. Insisting that the problems of the world today can be solved only by dealing much more effectively with human behavior, Skinner argues that our traditional concepts of freedom and dignity must be sharply revised. They have played an important historical role in our struggle against many kinds of...
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| Walden Two
by B. F. Skinner (Author)
A reprint of the 1976 Macmillan edition. This fictional outline of a modern Utopia has been a centre of controversy ever since its publication in 1948. Set in the United States, it pictures a society in which human problems are solved by a scientific technology of human conduct. FROM THE PREFACE: It is now widely recognised that great changes must be made in the American way of life. Not only can we not face the rest of the world while consuming and polluting as we do, we cannot for long face...
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| Understanding Behaviorism: Behavior, Culture, and Evolution
by William M. Baum (Author)
Understanding Behaviorism explains the basis of behavior analysis and its application to human problems in a scholarly but accessible manner.
Only book available that both explains behavior analysis and deals with philosophical and practical problems.
Makes behaviorism accessible and explains the basis of behavior analysis and its application to human problems.
Treats the ancient concepts of purpose, knowledge, language, and thought as well as modern social problems like freedom,...
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