Research Catalog

Title

Behavior and its causes : philosophical foundations of operant psychology / by Terry L. Smith.

Author

Smith, Terry L.

Publication

Dordrecht [The Netherlands] ; Boston : Kluwer Academic Publishers, [1994], ©1994.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xv, 266 pages : illustrations; 23 cm.

Summary

• The rise of cognitive science in the 1960s was widely heralded as a scientific revolution - an interpretation that implied the decline and eventual death of behavioral psychology. Although many forms of behavioral psychology did indeed disappear, there was a striking exception: the program of operant psychology founded by B.F. Skinner. This program actually grew at a rapid pace during the 'cognitive revolution' and shows no signs of fading away.
• What, then, is its place within psychology, and in particular, what is its relationship with cognitive psychology? This book attempts to answer that question.
• Distinguishing between operant psychology and the philosophy of radical behaviorism, it concludes that even though radical behaviorism may have been a failure, the operant program of research has been a success. Furthermore, operant psychology and cognitive psychology complement one another, each having its own domain within which it contributes something valuable to, but beyond the reach of, the other.

Series Statement

Studies in cognitive systems ; v. 16

Uniform Title

Studies in cognitive systems ; v. 16.

Subjects

• Behaviorism (Psychology) > Philosophy
• Cognitive psychology
• Operant conditioning > Philosophy

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Contents

Introduction / The Anomalous Survival of Operant Psychology -- Pt. 1. Understanding the Program of Research. Ch. 1. Defining the Operant. Ch. 2. Not a Form of S-R Psychology. Ch. 3. The Functional Nature of Behavioral Categories -- Pt. 2. Circumventing Standard Criticisms of the Program. Ch. 4. Minor Problems. Ch. 5. Folk Psychology's Critique. Ch. 6. Rebutting Folk Psychology's Critique. Ch. 7. A Sophisticated Rejoinder by Philosophers -- Pt. 3. Weighing the Strengths and Weaknesses of Radical Behaviorism. Ch. 8. What Is Radical Behaviorism? Ch. 9. The Scientific Case for Radical Behaviorism. Ch. 10. The Analogy with Natural Selection -- Pt. 4. Disentangling the Program from Radical Behaviorism. Ch. 11. Transcending Behaviorism. Ch. 12. Operant Psychology without Behaviorism.

ISBN

0792328159 (alk. paper)

LCCN

94010400

OCLC

• 30158598
• ocm30158598

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries