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The best we have: A critique of Ladouceur, Sylvain, Boutin, and Doucet’s Understanding and Treating the Pathological Gambler

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Abstract

Ladouceur, Sylvain, Boutin, and Doucet (2002) present a readable book on gambling meant for a wide audience. Their coverage includes the history of gambling, the different philosophical orientations of its research and treatment, assessment of pathological gambling, and treatment from the authors’ cognitive-behavioral perspective. This book offers practical advice that can be interpreted in behavior-analytic terms, which makes it worthwhile reading for behavior analysts. The book does contain a number of philosophical inconsistencies. However, given that behavior analysis has largely neglected the study of gambling behavior, it is difficult to be overly critical of the book.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, 58202-8380, USA

    Jeffrey N. Weatherly

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  1. Jeffrey N. Weatherly
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Correspondence to Jeffrey N. Weatherly.

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I thank the reviewers of the original manuscript.

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Weatherly, J.N. On books. BEHAV ANALYST 27, 119–124 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392099

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392099

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