Saturday, April 12, 2014

A Behaviorists' Bookshelf (Ongoing)


     I have decided to keep an ongoing list of books related to education, behavior analysis, and other randomness that I think are useful or want to buy. I will add brief recommendations & reservations as time permits. Not to say that These lists are in no particular order. And, obviously, not APA citations (Author/Editor - Title - Edition if applicable). While I value all of my purchases, and would return a title if it were outright awful, books with a + after denote highly recommend, books with a - after means the title is owned but with "reservations," and  books with nothing after mean they're good enough to warrant a purchase but are in my opinion a low priority.

     This list is obviously not exhaustive, and will be an ongoing project to update.

     Feel free to post any recommendations at the bottom! I'd love to know what reader's are finding useful!

(Updated 04.12.2014)

Own:

Behavior Analysis/Behaviorism/Positive Behavior Supports:
  • B.F. Skinner - The Behavior of Organisms +
  • B.F. Skinner - Walden Two
  • B.F. Skinner - Science and Human Behavior +
  • B.F. Skinner - Schedules of Reinforcement
  • B.F. Skinner - Verbal Behavior
  • B.F. Skinner - About Behaviorism +
  • B.F. Skinner - Beyond Freedom & Dignity
  • B.F. Skinner - Upon Further Reflection
  • B.F. Skinner - Cumulative Record
  • John O. Cooper, Timothy E. Heron, & William L. Heward - Applied Behavior Analysis (2nd Ed.) +
  • Mary Lynch Barbera - The Verbal Behavior Approach +
  • Susan M. Schneider - The Science of Consequences +
  • Michael M. Mueller & Ajamu Nkosi - Behavior Analytic Consultation to Schools
  • Heward et. al. (Eds.) - Focus on Behavior Analysis in Education: Achievements, Challenges, and Opportunities
  •  John Bailey & Mary Burch - 25 Essential Skills & Strategies for the Professional Behavior Analyst
  • John Bailey & Mary Burch - How To Think Like a Behavior Analyst +
  • Mark L. Sundberg - Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (Assessment & Guide) +
  • Mark L. Sundberg & James W. Partington - Teaching Language to Children with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities +
  • Richard M. Foxx - Increasing Behaviors of Severely Retarded and Autistic Persons
  • Richard M. Foxx - Decreasing Behaviors of Persons With Severe Retardation and Autism
  • Murray Sidman - Tactics of Scientific Research
  • Derek D. Reed, Florence D. DiGennaro Reed, & James K. Luiselli (Eds.) - Handbook of Crisis Intervention and Developmental Disabilities
  • Mark R. Dixon - PEAK: Relational Training System - Direct Training Module 
  • Catherine Maurice, Gina Green, & Stephen C. Luce (Eds.) - Behavioral Intervention for Young Children With Autism: A Manual for Parents and Professionals +
  • James M. Johnston - Radical Behaviorism for ABA Practitioners +
  • Susan M. Sheridan & Thomas R. Krawochwill - Conjoint Behavioral Consultation
  • Robert L. Koegel & Lynn R. Koegel - Pivotal Response Treatments for Autism
  • Glen Dunlap, Rose Iovannone, Donald Kincaid, Kelly Wilson, Kathy Christiansen, Phillip Strain, & Carie English - Prevent-Teach-Reinforce +
Education (General, Teaching, and Teacher Preparation):
  • Carl E. Kaestle - Pillars of the Republic: Common Schools and American Society, 1780-1860
  • Ron Ritchhart - Intellectual Character- What It Is, Why It Matters, and How To Get It
  • Howard Gardner - 5 Minds For The Future 
  • Natalie Ravthon - Effective School Interventions +
  • Edward S. Shapiro - Academic Skills Problems
  • Jay McTighe & Grant Woods - Understanding By Design: Professional Development Workbook
  • David L. Westling & Lise Fox - Teaching Students with Severe Disabilities (4th Ed.)
  • Daniel P. Hallahan, James M. Kauffman, & Paige C. Pullen - Exceptional Learners: An Introduction to Special Education (12th Ed.)
  • Daniel P. Hallahan & James M. Kauffman - Cases for Reflection and Analysis for Exceptional Learners: Introduction to Special Education (Supplement to Exceptional Learners above)
  • James M. Kauffman & Daniel P. Hallahan - Special Education: What It Is and Why We Need It
  • Victor Nolet & Margaret J. McLaughlin - Accessing the General Curriculum (2nd Ed.) -
  • Gordon S. Gibb & Tina Taylor Dyches - Guide to Writing Quality Individualized Education Programs +
  • James S. Cangelosi - Classroom Management Strategies: Gaining and Maintaining Student's' Cooperation (6th Ed.) 
  • Spencer J. Saland - Creating Inclusive Classrooms: Effective and Reflective Practices (7th Ed.)
  • Gail E. Tompkins - Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach (5th Ed.) +
  • John Settlage & Sherry A. Southerland - Teaching Science to Every Child: Using Culture as a Starting Point
Other Disability/Good Reads/Useful/Of Interest:
  •  Catherine Maurice - Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph Over Autism +
  • Murray Sidman - Coercion and Its Fallout +
  • John W. Norlin - What Do I Do When - The Answer Book on Special Education Law (5th ed.)
  • Ken Siri & Tony Lyons (Eds.) - Cutting Edge Therapies for Autism, 2010-2011-
  • Daniel Tammet - Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant +
  • Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) +
  • Temple Grandin - Animals in Translation
  • Julie Holland - Weekends at Bellevue+
  • Bernard Wood - Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction
  • Michael O'Shea - The Brain: A Very Short Introduction
  • Eleanor W. Lynch & Marci J. Hanson - Developing Cross-Cultural Competence: A Guide for Working With Children and Their Families (4th Ed.) +
  •  Edward H. Levi - An Introduction to Legal Reasoning
  • Thomas J. Bernard - The Cycle of Juvenile Justice
  • Earl Babbie - The Practice of Social Research
  • George Orwell - 1984 +
  • Friedrich Nietzsche - Beyond Good and Evil +
Journals/Newsletters/LISTSERVs:
  • Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior)
  • Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior)
  • The Behavior Analyst (Association for Behavior Analysis International)
  •  The Analysis of Verbal Behavior (Association for Behavior Analysis International)
  • Behavior Analysis in Practice (Association for Behavior Analysis International)
  • APBA Reporter (Association for Professional Behavior Analysis)
  • Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions (Association for Positive Behavior Support)
  • Exceptional Children (Council for Exceptional Children)
  • What Work's Clearing House (Institute for Educational Science)
  • Best Practice in Brief (Michigan State University)
  • Harvard Education Letter (Harvard Education Publishing Group)
  • Special Ed Advocate (Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy)
  • Spotlight on Disability Newsletter (American Psychological Association)
  • Research Alert: Autism (American Psychological Association)
  •  The Educator (American Psychological Association)
  • Association for Behavior Analysis International





Tuesday, April 8, 2014

How we get our personalities

     There is nothing novel in this post on how personalities develop, but I wanted to provide a brief overview of how our personalities are defined, and some factors that influence our personality.

     A personality is shaped by the environment. Specifically, sets of contingencies that are in place via naturally occurring contingencies and our verbal community. For example, if I were to spend all day running a ton of errands, someone may say "He is quite the mover!" I may then begin to identify as someone who is motivated to get things accomplished, and this may transfer into other realms of life such as my job or school. Once I contact others who observe this as well, the more they use their observations to define me, the more that becomes how I am viewed, and therefore I may begin to define myself in the same way.  Furthermore, if our word to describe someone who is productive were "lazy" instead of productive, then my verbal community would label me as lazy by observing me getting things done since that is the word that describes a trait that is attributed to a set of observable behaviors. Our personalities, according to Skinner (1974), are what we "say and do" (pp. 164).

     Rule-governance and contingency-shaped behavior are related in that we learn from the consequences of each. We learn much faster by rule-governed than contingency-shaped behavior, and the better defined the rule is, the more likely we will be able to follow it to produce reinforcement and avoid a potentially aversive consequence. Additionally, we are primed as a species to follow rules, especially at a young age (think of that, a child's mind is a sponge analogy). For example, the child who grows up along the Nile needs to heed the rule of their parents and elders to stay away from the water's edge or they may get eaten by a crocodile. If the child does not follow the rule and gets eaten, that child obviously does not get to learn from the contingency....

     Both rule-governed and contingency-shaped behavior relate to learning. The more we follow a rule and contact reinforcement or avoid an aversive situation, the more we will follow it in the future. Similarly, the more reinforcing the contingency, the more likely we will behave in similar ways under similar circumstance.

     Additionally, the rules of our cultures play a lot into how our personalities will be defined through our actions. The same is true of contingency shaped behavior. For the prior, if our society says it is impolite to burp at the table, we try not to burp to avoid social approval (if we buy into or care about the social norm, of course). Similarly for the latter, if we burp at the table anyway, and our dinner is removed, dessert is withheld, and we are made to do the dishes, we will think twice about burping again at the table, and therein follow the rule more strictly. Lastly, if we burp at the table, our verbal community may label us as rude or unpleasant. If we refrain from burping and engage in other polite, social dinner-table behaviors, our verbal community may label us as civil or well-mannered.

REFERENCES
Skinner, B. F. (1974). About behaviorism. New York, NY: Vintage Books.