Abstract
Reese (1999) has noted that the nature of explanation and its relation to description have been hotly debated for many years. The present chapter critically examines the status of explanation and description in contemporary behavioral science, particularly traditional neobehaviorism, cognitive psychology, and behavior analysis.
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bacon, F. (1937). De dignitate et augmentis scientarium. In R. F. Jones (Ed. and trans.), Essays, Advancement of Learning, New Atlantis, and other pieces (pp. 377–438). New York: Odyssey. (Original work published 1623.)
Bacon, F.(1960). The new organon. (F. H. Anderson, Ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill. ( Original work published 1620 )
Catania, A. C. (1993). The unconventional philosophy of science of behavior analysis. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 60, 449–452.
Catania, A. C., & Hamad, S. (Eds.). (1988). The selection of behavior: The operant behaviorism of B. F. Skinner: Comments and controversies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chomsky, N. (1965). Aspects of a theory of syntax. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Chomsky, N. (1980). Rules and representations. New York: Columbia University Press.
Copi, I. (1982). Introduction to logic (6th ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Cummins, R. (1983). The nature of psychological explanation. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA.
Fodor, J. (1981). The mind-body problem.Scientific American, 244, 124–133.
Hempel, C. G., & Oppenheim, P. (1948). Studies in the logic of explanation. Philosophy of Science, 15, 135–175.
Hergenhahn, B. R. (1997). An introduction to the history of psychology (3 rd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Hineline, P. N. (1984). Can a statement in cognitive terms be a behavior-analytic interpretation? The Behavior Analyst, 7, 97–100.
Hull, C. L. (1937). Mind, mechanism, and adaptive behavior. Psychological Review, 44, 1–32.
Hull, C. L. (1943). Principles of behavior. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Hull, C. L. (1952). A behavior system. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Hume, D. (1964). A treatise of human nature. (L. A. Selby-Brigge, Ed., reprinted). Oxford: Clarendon Press. (Earlier edition published 1888 )
Hume, D. (1902). Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of morals. (L. A. Selby-Brigge, Ed., 2nd ed). Oxford: Clarendon Press. ( Original work published 1777 )
Kaplan, A. (1964). The conduct of inquiry. San Francisco, CA: Chandler.
Kendler, H. H., & Spence, J. T. (1971). Tenets of neobehaviorism. In H. H. Kendler & J. T. Spence (Eds.), Essays in Neobehaviorism: A memorial volume to Kenneth W. Spence (pp. 11–40 ). New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Lashley, K. (1951). The problem of serial order in behavior. In L. A. Jeffress (Ed.), Cerebral mechanisms in behavior (pp. 112–146 ). New York: Wiley.
Mach, E. (1942). The science of mechanics (T. J. McCormack, Trans.; 5th ed.). LaSalle, IL: Open Court. ( Original work published 1883 )
Marr, M. J. (1983). Memory: Metaphors and models. Psychological Record, 33, 12–19.
Marr, M. J. (1985). ‘Tis the gift to be simple: A retrospective appreciation of Mach’s The Science of Mechanics. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,44,129–138.
Moore, J. (1984). On behaviorism, knowledge, and causal explanation. Psychological Record, 34, 73–97.
Moore, J. (1990a). On mentalism, privacy, and behaviorism. Journal of Mind and Behavior, 11, 19–36.
Moore, J. (1990b). On the “causes”of behavior. Psychological Record, 40,469–480.
Moore, J. (1992). On private events and theoretical terms. Journal of Mind and Behavior, 13, 329–346.
Moore, J. (1996). On the relation between behaviorism and cognitive psychology. Journal of Mind and Behavior, 17, 345–368.
Moore, J. (1998). On behaviorism, theories, and hypothetical constructs. Journal of Mind and Behavior, 19, 215–242.
Moore, J. (2000a). Behavior analysis and psycholinguistics. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 1, 5–22.
Moore, J. (2000b). Varieties of scientific explanation. The Behavior Analyst, 23, 173–189.
Pitt, J. C. (Ed.). (1988). Theories of explanation. New York: Oxford University Press
Popper, K. R. (1963). Conjectures and refutations. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Reese, H. W. (1999). Explanation is not description. Behavioral Development Bulletin, 8(1), 3–7.
Ross, W. D. (Ed.). (1938). Aristotle: Selections. New York: Scribner.
Russell, B. (1932). Mysticism and logic. London: George Allen.
Salmon, W. (1984). Scientific explanation and the causal structure of the world. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Salmon, W. (1989). Four decades of scientific explanation. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
Schnaitter, R. M. (1984). Skinner on the “mental” and the “physical.” Behaviorism, 12, 1–14.
Schnaitter, R. (1986). Behavior as a function of inner states and outer circumstances. In T. Thompson & M. D. Zeiler (Eds.), Analysis and integration of behavioral units (pp. 247–274 ). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Schoneberger, T. (2000). A departure from Cognitivism: Implications of Chomsky’s second revolution in linguistics. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 17,57–73.
Simon, H. A. (1992). What is an “explanation” of behavior? Psychological Science, 3, 150–161.
Skinner, B. F. (1938). The behavior of organisms. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Skinner, B. F. (1972). Experimental psychology. Cumulative record (pp. 295–313). New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. (Reprinted from Current trends in psychology, pp. 16–49, by W. Dennis, Ed., 1947, Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press )
Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York: Macmillan.
Skinner, B. F. (1957). Verbal behavior. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Skinner, B. F. (1964). Behaviorism at fifty. In T. W. Wann (Ed.), Behaviorism and phenomenology (pp. 79–108 ). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Skinner, B. F. (1969). Contingencies of reinforcement. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Skinner, B. F. (1978). Reflections on behaviorism and society. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Skinner, B. F. (1979). The shaping of a behaviorist. New York: Knopf.
Skinner, B. F. (1989). The origins of cognitive thought. American Psychologist, 44, 13–18.
Skinner, B. F. (1990). Can psychology be a science of mind? American Psychologist, 45, 1206–1210.
Smith, L. D. (1995). Inquiry nearer the source: Bacon, Mach, and The Behavior of Organisms. In J. T. Todd & E. K. Morris (Eds.), Modern perspectives on B. F. Skinner and contemporary behaviorism (pp. 39–50 ). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Sosa, E., & Tooley, M. (Eds.). (1993). Causation. New York: Oxford University Press.
Staddon, J. E. R. (1973). On the notion of cause, with application to behaviorism. Behaviorism, 1, 25–63.
Staddon, J. E. R. (2001). The new behaviorism. Philadelphia, PA: Taylor & Francis.
Turner, M. B. (1967). Philosophy and the science of behavior. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Wessells, M. (1981). A critique of Skinner’s views on the explanatory inadequacy of cognitive theories. Behaviorism, 9, 153–170.
Wessells, M. (1982). A critique of Skinner’s views on the obstructive character of cognitive theories. Behaviorism, 10, 65–84.
Wallace, W. A. (1972). Causality and scientific explanation (Vol. 1 ). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Wallace, W. A. (1974). Causality and scientific explanation (Vol. 2 ). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2003 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Moore, J. (2003). Explanation and Description in Traditional Neobehaviorism, Cognitive Psychology, and Behavior Analysis. In: Lattal, K.A., Chase, P.N. (eds) Behavior Theory and Philosophy. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4590-0_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4590-0_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-3405-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-4590-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive