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The analysis of human operant behavior
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BOOK REVIEWS REESE, ELLEN P. The Analysis o f Human Operant Behavior. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown, 1966, 73 Pp. $1.80.
Now deservedly in its 18th printing, this fine introduction to operant conditioning and its clinical applications is almost as noteworthy now as when it first appeared a decade ago. At $1.80, it is value indeed and strongly recommended not only as an undergraduate text but for all who seek a first exposure to operant theory and practice. Clearly written, to the point, and academic without being dull, it manages to combine overview and specific detail, basic principles and general practice, all in some 73 pages. My only complaint is that none of the references goes beyond 1965, and it is high time that Reese presented us with an updated version. Much has happened since 1966!
Viewpoints on Behavioral Issues in Closed Institutions, Vol. 17, No. 1, Arizona Law Review, 1975, 1-143. Single copies $3.00 available fromArizona Law Review, University of Arizona, College of Law, Tucson, AZ, 85721. Public and professional debate over the use of behavioral techniques continues to attract the attention of legal circles. In mid-1975, the Behavioral Law Center of the Institute for Behavioral Research sponsored a National Conference on Behavioral Issues in Closed Institutions. Ayllon's contribution, reported in the Arizona Law Review, sums up the behavioral position as he sees it and proposes guidelines for the future. This is followed by three supposedly constructively critical Commentaries. The first, by a research psychologist at the Wright Institute, Berkeley, California, says little that is new and adds equally little to Ayllon's presentation. The second, by a self-styled former mental patient, makes the important point that Ayllon's proposed guidelines sound admirable but are totally theoretical and utopian. The third, by a physician from the National Academy of Sciences who also holds a J.D. degree and is a member of the District of Columbia bar, is the most sophisticated Commentary of the three and probably the most constructive. Paul Friedman's presentation is excellent. The legal position is clearly detailed in some 66 closely reasoned but nontechnical pages, with the expressed hope that his fine exposition will serve as a starting point for further systematic exploration of the many is sues raised. The three Commentaries are by Goldiamond, Clemons (a Project Assistant at the National Prison Project and Founder of the Inmates Advisory Council, Lorton Reformatory) and David Wexler, Professor of Law at the University of Arizona.
ULRICH, ROGER E. Toward Experimental Living. Behavior Modification Monograph, 1973, Vol. II, No. 1, 74 Pp. $2.50. Available from the Department of Psychology, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49001. This is a fascinating personal account of the early attempts to start an Experimental Community at Lake Village, Kalamazoo. When the first endeavors to create such a community from a homogeneous department of psychology failed, Ulrich tried to build anew from a smaller group of people who had seemingly worked well together in programs of aggression research and early childhood education. When this dissolved amid a welter of mounting tensions, Ulrich, undaunted, formed yet another group, less ambitious but offering every promise of success and stability. Ulrich's report is thorough, straightforward, objective, very candid, and worthy of the attention of readers of this Journal. GENTRY, W. DOYLE (Ed.).AppliedBehaviorModification, St. Louis, MO: C. V. Mosby, 1975, xiii + 164 Pp. $5.95. Differentiating sharply between the subject matter of this book and behavior therapy, the editor has assembled together a series of seven specially written articles, each covering a particular facet of applied behavior modification arising out of a 1972 conference and work-
BOOK REVIEWS REESE, ELLEN P. The Analysis o f Human Operant Behavior. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown, 1966, 73 Pp. $1.80.
Now deservedly in its 18th printing, this fine introduction to operant conditioning and its clinical applications is almost as noteworthy now as when it first appeared a decade ago. At $1.80, it is value indeed and strongly recommended not only as an undergraduate text but for all who seek a first exposure to operant theory and practice. Clearly written, to the point, and academic without being dull, it manages to combine overview and specific detail, basic principles and general practice, all in some 73 pages. My only complaint is that none of the references goes beyond 1965, and it is high time that Reese presented us with an updated version. Much has happened since 1966!
Viewpoints on Behavioral Issues in Closed Institutions, Vol. 17, No. 1, Arizona Law Review, 1975, 1-143. Single copies $3.00 available fromArizona Law Review, University of Arizona, College of Law, Tucson, AZ, 85721. Public and professional debate over the use of behavioral techniques continues to attract the attention of legal circles. In mid-1975, the Behavioral Law Center of the Institute for Behavioral Research sponsored a National Conference on Behavioral Issues in Closed Institutions. Ayllon's contribution, reported in the Arizona Law Review, sums up the behavioral position as he sees it and proposes guidelines for the future. This is followed by three supposedly constructively critical Commentaries. The first, by a research psychologist at the Wright Institute, Berkeley, California, says little that is new and adds equally little to Ayllon's presentation. The second, by a self-styled former mental patient, makes the important point that Ayllon's proposed guidelines sound admirable but are totally theoretical and utopian. The third, by a physician from the National Academy of Sciences who also holds a J.D. degree and is a member of the District of Columbia bar, is the most sophisticated Commentary of the three and probably the most constructive. Paul Friedman's presentation is excellent. The legal position is clearly detailed in some 66 closely reasoned but nontechnical pages, with the expressed hope that his fine exposition will serve as a starting point for further systematic exploration of the many is sues raised. The three Commentaries are by Goldiamond, Clemons (a Project Assistant at the National Prison Project and Founder of the Inmates Advisory Council, Lorton Reformatory) and David Wexler, Professor of Law at the University of Arizona.
ULRICH, ROGER E. Toward Experimental Living. Behavior Modification Monograph, 1973, Vol. II, No. 1, 74 Pp. $2.50. Available from the Department of Psychology, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49001. This is a fascinating personal account of the early attempts to start an Experimental Community at Lake Village, Kalamazoo. When the first endeavors to create such a community from a homogeneous department of psychology failed, Ulrich tried to build anew from a smaller group of people who had seemingly worked well together in programs of aggression research and early childhood education. When this dissolved amid a welter of mounting tensions, Ulrich, undaunted, formed yet another group, less ambitious but offering every promise of success and stability. Ulrich's report is thorough, straightforward, objective, very candid, and worthy of the attention of readers of this Journal. GENTRY, W. DOYLE (Ed.).AppliedBehaviorModification, St. Louis, MO: C. V. Mosby, 1975, xiii + 164 Pp. $5.95. Differentiating sharply between the subject matter of this book and behavior therapy, the editor has assembled together a series of seven specially written articles, each covering a particular facet of applied behavior modification arising out of a 1972 conference and work-