Download PDF Behavior Analysis and Learning Fifth Edition - Pierce, Cheney

Sinopsis

W. Frank Epling, Ph.D. was coauthor of the 􀂿 rst two editions of Behavior Analysis and Learning . He was a great personal friend of ours, an excellent teacher, and a productive colleague. We hope that this 􀂿 fth edition is as good as Frank would accept, and we dedicate it to his memory. The goal of this textbook is to present and describe the philosophy, methods, 􀂿 ndings, principles, and applications of the natural science of behavior analysis. This 􀂿 fth edition presents the history, current status, and projections for the future of humans investigating what accounts for their behavior.

We have received a great deal of welcome positive feedback from readers of earlier editions, which we greatly appreciate. This 􀂿 fth edition retains much of the major organization, information, and unique features of the previous editions, yet, as with any revision, we have made several alterations in topics, presentation, and resources. We responded to user and reviewer comments and to the availability of much new information from the literature. Reviewers reported that, although this is a basic experimental analysis text, they enjoyed the applied human and nonhuman examples, and so we have expanded and continued this feature. A single college textbook cannot do justice to both basic and applied behavior analysis, and our focus has remained primarily basic so as to provide the fundamentals, where they came from, and how they may apply in diverse situations. It is our belief that, given a solid understanding of the behavior principles presented in this text, the reader will be equipped to analyze, design research or treatment, carry out an effective behavioral assessment, and be successful with the behavior management of most species.

Many readers indicated an appreciation of the use of Francis Mechner’s notation system as a clear depiction of the experimental contingencies and the independent variables that control behavior. Dr. Mechner remains active and thoughtful in producing creative and challenging research in behavior analysis (see Chapter 1 on thinking), and we have used his system since graduate school.

Users and reviewers also encouraged us to include more biobehavioral 􀂿 ndings, which we were pleased to do. For example, the reports of “mirror” neurons and their possible involvement in imitation and empathetic behavior have been expanded. We have also noted important research relating activity in the brain area called the nucleus accumbens to choice behavior, and the involvement of the amygdala in conditioned reinforcement. An elaboration of the evolution of the human vocal apparatus and verbal behavior contributes, we feel, to the synthesis of biology and behavior. Although we remain dedicated to behavior analysis as a discipline of its own, we appreciate the movement toward a synthesis of a science of behavior with neuroscience. Ultimately the brain is responsible for nearly all behavior (headless cockroach data being one exception), and eventually our knowledge of brain mechanisms together with understanding of the environmental features that contribute to behavioral contingencies will provide a means of prediction and control beyond what we may have thought possible.

The pedagogical features in the 􀂿 fth edition have proven successful and include the Focus On inserts, Advanced Sections , and On The Applied Side presentations. The placement of Advanced Sections at the end of chapters allows instructors to address basic material without the intrusion of more complicated issues. We now include sections on New Directions in behavior and neuroscience in most chapters to highlight the links between behavior analysis and direct observation of neural systems and processes. As in the past, we continue to provide Chapter Summaries , which we expect will improve students’ mastery of the material.

Content

1. A Science of Behavior: Perspective, History, and Assumptions
2. The Experimental Analysis of Behavior
3. Reflexive Behavior and Respondent Conditioning
4. Reinforcement and Extinction of Operant Behavior
5. Schedules of Reinforcement
6. Aversive Control of Behavior
7. Operant–Respondent Interrelationships: The Biological Context of Conditioning
8. Stimulus Control
9. Choice and Preference
10. Conditioned Reinforcement
11. Correspondence Relations: Imitation and Rule-Governed Behavior
12. Verbal Behavior
13. Applied Behavior Analysis
14. Three Levels of Selection: Biology, Behavior, and Culture

Click here to download