The New Behaviorism

Reviews / Votes

"Behaviorism has been dying a slow death, but John Staddon, in this lively volume, gives it a much-deserved shot in the arm. By letting go of Skinner's "radical behaviorism," Staddon is able to rebuild a thoroughly modern behaviorism that steers clear of mentalism and seeks an economical science of behavior without denying the need for essential elements of any science, such as theory. He does all this in a witty and engaging style that will win readers over to his New Behaviorism."


-Clive D.L. Wynne, Ph.D., Arizona State University


"The first edition of Staddon's "The New Behaviorism" sits, full of marks and annotations, within easy reach of my desk. I use it and refer to it frequently for its theoretical clarity, sharp insights, and lucid explanations of difficult concepts. The present edition extends these virtues nicely to recent developments in Staddon's own thinking and to that of other new behaviorists."


-Howard Rachlin, Ph.D., Stony Brook University


"Staddon presents a clever, provocative and well argued defence of a classic view that has often been misleadingly oversimplified: that mental events as causes for observed behaviour are best kept to a minimum. The present blooming of comparative cognition research, where concepts such as mental representation, empathy, theory of mind and so on are frequently invoked unparsimoniously, makes this intelligent piece of advocacy timely and important reading."


-Alex Kacelnik, Ph.D., Oxford University, UK


"If asked to free associate with the word Behaviorism, what would come to your mind? Would Rationality, Free-Will, Truth, Utopia, Values, or Consciousness be included in your list? Probably not, and yet, according to John Staddon, one of the most creative contemporary psychologists, only a new Behaviorism can truly shed light on the nature of Truth, the place of Values in a science of behavior, the stuff of Consciousness, or the relation of free-will to determinism and causality. Covering a wide range of issues with well-crafted, thought-provoking, and occasionally also humorous arguments, The New Behaviorism is sure to surprise, inform, and educate you."


-Armando Machado, Ph.D., University of Minho, Portugal


"Staddon's inimitable pen affirms that not only is behaviorism not dead, but it has attained new levels of sophistication and scope-including theoretical and pragmatic treatments of such daunting issues as consciousness, justice systems, and health care. In the development of what he deems "theoretical behaviorism," neither Skinner's radical behaviorism nor cognitive psychology are spared withering appraisal. Drawing from an astonishing range of sources Staddon's revision is a delightful read-as fun as it is serious-and should properly provoke scientific psychologists and philosophers of mind to reassess many of their most basic assumptions."


-Jack Marr, Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology


"Staddon provides a compelling case regarding the future direction of experimental behavior analysis based largely on his own work from the past quarter century. The behavioristic models Staddon proposes is an important and, I would argue, necessary step for behavioral scientists interested in formalizing patterns and mechanismss within the science of behavior... Should you read the book? Absolutely. Staddon is a witty writer and an experimental juggernaut whose tremendous contributious to the science of behavior cannot be overlooked... [Underneath] it all is a wealth of indispensable insights for the contemporary experimental psychologist."


-Micah Amd, Maynooth University, Psychological Record


"John Staddon's The New Behaviorism is a significant contribution to the series of books written by Harvard psychology alumni from the B. F. Skinner-Richard Herrnstein period. He develops a cognitive theory, mostly animal learning, based upon hypothetical mental states that he suggests mediate learning processes. Staddon's book seems to be a paean to Herrnstein."


- Travis Thompson, The Psychological Record