Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Theory: A Response to Lopes

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Contemporary Behaviorisms in Debate

  • 605 Accesses

Abstract

Response to Carlos Eduardo Lopes’ comments: “What Is the Theory of Theoretical Behaviorism?”

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Indeed, as I point out, the only paper of Skinner’s that begins with a hypothesis is his “superstition” paper (Skinner, 1948; Staddon & Simmelhag, 1971).

  2. 2.

    “[T]he impact of the work was diminished by the limited analysis and interpretation of the results and elucidation of their significance in Schedules,” writes W. H. Morse and P. B. Dews in their 1997 Introduction to a reprint of the work.

  3. 3.

    See Matching law for a succinct summary.

References

  • Ayala, F. J. (2009). Darwin and the scientific method. PNAS, 106(suppl. 1), 10033–10039.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Baum, W. M. (2011). Behaviorism, private events, and the molar view of behavior. The Behavior Analyst, 34, 185–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferster, C. B., & Skinner, B. F. (1957/1997). Schedules of reinforcement. Prentice Hall/B. F. Skinner Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Machado, A. (1997). Learning the temporal dynamics of behavior. Psychological Review, 104(2), 241–265. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295x.104.2.241

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Minsky, M. (1969). Computation: Finite and infinite machines. MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B. F. (1948). “Superstition” in the pigeon. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 38, 168–172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B. F. “Superstition” in the pigeon. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1948, 38, 168–172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B. F. (1956). A case history in scientific method. American Psychologist, 11(5), 221–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Staddon, J. E. R., & Simmelhag, V. L. (1971). The “superstition” experiment: a reexamination of its implications for the principles of adaptive behavior. Psychological Review, 78, 03–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Staddon, J. E. R. (2020). The dynamics of behavior: Review of Sutton and Barto: Reinforcement learning: An introduction (2nd ed.). Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 113, 485–491.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Staddon, J. (2017). Scientific method: How science works, fails to work or pretends to work. Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Staddon, J. E. R. (1967). Asymptotic behavior: The concept of the operant. Psychological Review, 74, 377–391.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Professor of Biology and Neurobiology Emeritus, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    John Staddon

Authors
  1. John Staddon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to John Staddon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), Goiabeiras, Vitória – ES, Brazil

    Diego Zilio

  2. State University of São Paulo (UNESP) at Bauru, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil

    Kester Carrara

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Staddon, J. (2021). Theory: A Response to Lopes. In: Zilio, D., Carrara, K. (eds) Contemporary Behaviorisms in Debate. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77395-3_9

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation