Karen Pryor is a terrific writer. This book is an excellent summary of the field of behavioral science, a field that is largely misunderstood. I certainly didn't appreciate its value until I read this truly excellent treatment of the topic.
Before I read this book, I had a general bias against behaviorism. I had heard that some behavioral techniques had gotten good results for some types of mental problems, but it seemed inappropriate to apply such simplistic ideas to humans on a regular basis.
Boy, was I wrong!
Pryor explains in this slim, fun-to-read volume that behavioral science is real and important. Behavior has its own set of rules, and we are subject to them just as surely as we are subject to the laws of gravity (regardless of how well we understand either). Pryor understands these underlying principles very well, and has a wealth of knowledge about how to apply them.
This short book covers so much!
It provides an excellent overview of the laws that govern the behavior of all creatures.
It gives us a short course in animal training, pointing out the differences among animals. (Training cats is very different from training dogs, training dolphins, Pryor's specialty, brings additional challenges, elephants are incredibly smart; there are some wonderful animal stories in this book.)
And it's a really nice short course in how to apply the laws of behavior and the options for reinforcement to our own lives.
Pryor makes it clear that much of our character and many of our actions are shaped NOT through language or understanding but through our experiences. Pryor's clear explication of exactly how this works gives us a new language to think with and to experiment with. It was really eye-opening to me. A better understanding of behavior and reinforcement gives us a whole new toolkit to explore.
Both a realist and an optimist, Pryor writes absolutely delightful prose. It's uplifting and inspiring, which is pretty amazing for a book that also shows just how far we are from having a good shared understanding of this topic.
This book makes a huge contribution toward rescuing an underappreciated body of knowledge.
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NOT NEW!
I totally thought I was getting a new book. That is not what I received. I checked my invoice and I paid the full price (just to double check that I didn't accidentally select the Used option). While it's not in terrible condition, the cover shows wear and tear and has creases, pages contain stains, the top corners are bent. Not what I expected to receive at all.
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2006
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Conducteur prudentReviewed in France on October 3, 2002
La référence sur le conditionnement opérant
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- LeesawReviewed in Canada on March 29, 2020
One of the best dog books available - five bark rating: WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF
