Review
The New Behaviorism: Mind, Mechanism and Society is a navigational chart on sailing between the Scylla of Skinnerism and the Charybdis of modern cognitive theory. After a review of the history of behaviorism and an introduction to the experimental foundations of radical behaviorism, Staddon launches into a critique of radical behaviorism on empirical, social policy, and theoretical grounds.
–The Behavior Analyst, Fall 2001Behaviorism is dead; we all know that. But why did it die, and is there anything of it worth resurrecting? In his very readable
The New Behaviorism, John Staddon addresses these questions and much, much more. He argues that philosophically Watsonian and Skinnerian behaviorism were fundamentally flawed, but that nonetheless they yielded valuable techniques and results. His positive project here is to provide a satisfactory philosophical foundation for a new behaviorism, one that eschews neither theory nor internal states. Whether that proves successful only time will tell, but Staddon makes a compelling case for giving it a shot. I would urge that not only psychologists, but also philosophers interested in psychology and the cognitive sciences, give this book a shot. You will not be bored..
–Robert Brandon
Product Description
John Staddon's entertaining book begins with a brief history of behaviorism and goes on to explain and criticize radical behaviorism, its philosophy, and its applications to social issues.
The author argues that parsimony, the elementary philosophical distinction between private and public events, even biology, evolution and animal psychology - all are ignored by much contemporary cognitive psychology.
The New Behaviorism attempts to redress the balance.
