Human Behavior in Today's World

In this volume a distinguished group of scholars examines the contributions that behavior analysis can make in meeting the crucial challenges that threaten the survival of individuals, families, societies, and nations, as well as the planet itself. Beginning with the premise that human behavior is the primary cause of our problems, the authors look at methods that allow us to change it and at how these methods may be applied in specific areas--ranging from international violence and environmental degradation to substance abuse and training of the handicapped.

The first part, which includes a paper by B. F. Skinner and a condensation of Murray Sidman's Coercion and Its Fallout (1989), focuses on the critical problems created by human behavior in the modern world and stresses the need for behavior scientists to become more involved in meeting these global challenges. Part II, The Science of Behavior Change, offers clear explanations of behavioral theory and discusses recent experimental work. Part III describes applications of behavior analysis to education, daycare, and the training of the handicapped. Principles, methods, and applications of stimulus control are explained in Part IV. The remaining sections cover the negative effects of coercion, the use of behavior analysis to achieve cooperation in the workplace, the relation of culture to behavior, applications to the practice of psychology, and related topics. Effectively linking behavior analysis to a broad range of practical concerns, this book will be of interest to professionals in psychology and other social sciences as well as educators, decision makers in government and industry, and general readers.