Behavior and Philosophy: Devoted to the philosophical, metaphysical, and methodological foundations of the study of behavior
Editor: José E. Burgos, PhD, Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones en Comportamiento Universidad de Guadalajara
ISSN 1053-8348 Published by the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies
Founded in 1973 under the name Behaviorism*, Behavior and Philosophy is a journal devoted to the philosophical, metaphysical, and methodological foundations of the study of behavior, brain, and mind. In addition to original articles, critical or historical reviews and responses to articles are also welcome. While we hope that everything we publish will be scientifically and philosophically sound, we insist above all on clarity and directness, respecting Francis Bacon’s dictum that “truth will sooner come from error than confusion.” Every article should be accessible to an educated but unspecialized audience.
*BEHAVIORISM, the journal, was founded in 1972 by Willard Day, a remarkable clinician/philosopher who nurtured a series of remarkable, often ground-breaking essays that raised the visibility of contemporary behavioral thinking within the broader intellectual community. These comprised the first 13 years of the journal, which he handed over to the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies in 1984. In 1990 the journal was re-titled Behavior & Philosophy, and it has continued to the present day under a succession of capable editors.
The Cambridge Center Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. José E. Burgos as the editor for Behavior and Philosophy.
Correspondence about the journal and manuscripts should be sent to Dr. Burgos at jb*****@*******dg.mx. Dr. Burgos may also be contacted at the following address:
José E. Burgos, PhD
Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies
550 Newtown Road, Suite 950
Littleton, MA 01460
About the Editor:
José E. Burgos, PhD, Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones en Comportamiento Universidad de Guadalajara
Dr. José E. Burgos received his PhD in Neuroscience and Behavior from the University of Massachusetts in May of 1996 (Advisor: John W. Donahoe). Burgos’ dissertation focused on a computational approach to the evolution of Pavlovian conditioning that combined a neural-network model and a genetic algorithm. He also holds an MS in Experimental Analysis of Behavior and completed all course credits of an MS in the philosophy of science, both at the Central University of Venezuela. As an undergrad, he has a License in Psychology from the Andrés Bello Catholic University, also in Venezuela. He is currently Full Professor at the Graduate Program in Behavior Science of the Center for Behavior Studies and Investigations, University of Guadalajara, where he teaches courses on Brain and Behavior and Philosophy of Science. He is also invited professor at the Graduate Program in Philosophical Studies at the University of Guadalajara, where he teaches Philosophy of Mind. He has been and currently is advisor of several graduate students. He also develops experimental research to test novel predictions from a neural-network model of Pavlovian and operant conditioning with animals, in addition to research on the philosophy of psychology. Dr. Burgos has published papers in a number of different journals, including Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (JEAB), Behavioral and Brain Sciences (as commentator), Behavior and Philosophy, Behavioural Processes, Psycoloquy, International Journal of Comparative Psychology, and Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis, has published numerous book chapters, and has been editor of several books. He was editor of the Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis (2000-2004). He has also presented papers at conferences worldwide, including SQAB and ABA. Dr. Burgos has been recognized with several awards, including the Jalisco Secretary of Education Award for contributions to the design of psychology undergraduate curricula, the Mexican Secretary of Education Professorship Desirable Profile, the Mexican National Research System (Level II), and various research awards from the University of Guadalajara. He has served on the editorials board of Behavior and Philosophy and the Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis, and as invited reviewer for JEAB and Learning & Behavior.
Editorial Board
| Erik Arntzen, Oslo and Akershus University College | Kennon A. Lattal, West Virginia University |
| Louise Barrett, University of Lethbridge Alberta | Michael Levin, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York |
| William Baum, University of New Hampshire | John Malone, University of Tennessee |
| Arturo Bouzas, Universidad Nacional Autonama de Mexico | M. Jackson Marr, Georgia Tech |
| Marc Branch, University of Florida | Paolo Moderato, IULM University, Milan |
| Matt Brodhead, Michigan State University | Matt Normand, University of the Pacific |
| David Cox, University of Florida | William O’Donohue, University of Nevada |
| Thomas S. Critchfield, Illinois State University | Daniele Ortu, University of North Texas |
| Manuel Curado, Universidade do Minho | David Palmer, Smith College |
| Iser DeLeon, University of Florida | Shawn P. Quigley, University of New Mexico Medical Group |
| Christoffer Eilifsen, Oslo and Akershus University College | Howard Rachlin, University of New York at Stony Brook |
| Jonathan K. Fernand, University of Florida | William Rottschaefer, Lewis and Clark College |
| Mitch Fryling, California State University, Los Angeles | Terry L. Smith, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania |
| Michael Ghiselin, California Academy of Sciences | Bruce Thyer, The Florida State University |
| Linda Hayes, University of Nevada-Reno | João-Cláudio Todorov, Universidade de Brasilia |
| Max Hocutt, University of Alabama | François Tonneau, Universidade Federal do Pará |
| Peter Killeen, Arizona State University | Diego Zilio, Federal University of Espírito Santo |
| Richard Kitchener, Colorado State University |
Behavior and Philosophy Publication as an E-Journal
Behavior and Philosophy operates according to an open-access model as of 2014. Articles that are accepted through peer review will be copyedited and appear immediately online in the contents of the current volume on the CCBS website (www.behavior.org). CCBS is in process to make volumes available as electronic publications. We hope that open access in its new electronic format will mean wider dissemination of the journal. Regardless, Behavior and Philosophy will continue in the tradition of scholarship and excellence for which it is known.
We invite readers and potential authors to submit articles, book reviews, and comments in keeping with the mission of the journal.
Questions may be addressed to the editor, Dr. José E. Burgos at jb*****@*******dg.mx or CCBS.
As is our custom, the current volumes cover a broad range of topics at the intersection of philosophy and psychology. The current volumes have target articles on explanation and computer simulations, with comments by reviewers and replies by authors. Other articles include the role of memes in social evolution, methodological behaviorism, and book reviews. We hope readers find these articles as stimulating as did the referees.
For authors, article-by-article electronic publication means instant access to a wide audience and fewer constraints on length and graphic materials. For the publisher it means reduced costs and a shorter response time.
Access through JSTOR
In 2011, expanded access to Behavior & Philosophy is available through JSTOR, the not-for-profit archival service that makes scholarly publications more accessible to scholars and students.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization, founded to help academic libraries and publishers.
JSTOR is a shared digital library created in 1995 to help university and college libraries free up space on their shelves, save costs, and provide greater levels of access to more content than ever before. More generally, by digitizing content to high standards and supporting its long-term preservation, JSTOR also aims to help libraries and academic publishers transition their activities from print to digital operations. Their aim is to expand access to scholarly content around the world and to preserve it for future generations.
Volumes available through JSTOR:
Behavior and Philosophy 1990 – 2011
Behaviorism 1972 – 1989 *
If you do not have access to JSTOR through your university or organization and are in need of a specific article, contact Rebekah Pavlik, Communications and Member Services Coordinator. pa****@******or.org
*BEHAVIORISM, the journal, was founded in 1972 by Willard Day, a remarkable clinician/philosopher who nurtured a series of remarkable, often ground-breaking essays that raised the visibility of contemporary behavioral thinking within the broader intellectual community. These comprised the first 13 years of the journal, which he handed over to the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies in 1984. In 1990 the journal was re-titled Behavior & Philosophy, and it has continued to the present day under a succession of capable editors.
Instructions for Submission of Manuscripts to Behavior and Philosophy
ABSTRACT: Instructions are given for the submission of manuscripts to Behavior and Philosophy, a journal published by the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. The journal will be published on the Internet at www.behavior.org. Authors of papers accepted for publication are asked to submit an electronic file formatted for publication according to specifications given here. Specifications include the page layout, style, and fonts required for formatting the document for publication.
Key words: journal, format, style, APA Manual, Internet, electronic publishing.
The Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies publishes Behavior and Philosophy online at www.behavior.org. Articles will be published electronically immediately upon final acceptance as a downloadable, printable Adobe Acrobat portable document file (pdf). It is important to note that papers published online in peer-reviewed journals have the same status as papers published in printed journals, and may be cited in the same way.
For authors, the electronic version offers the significant advantage of rapid publication. Without the delay caused by collecting and preparing many articles for a hardcopy issue, the publication lag is shortened considerably, and articles will become available to the public much more quickly.
Ideally, all steps in the review process will be completed electronically. Authors will submit their manuscripts (word processing documents) to the editor as email attachments. The reviewing process will be conducted by email. As soon as the review process for a particular manuscript has been completed, including revisions, the author will be notified by email. Finally, given the author’s approval of the proofs (which should be pro forma, since very little manipulation will have been done to the paper after final submission by the author), the paper will be posted immediately in the journals section of the website for public viewing. As a result of these procedures and the fact that the final manuscript received from the author will be formatted for publication without further prepress manipulation, the editorial process, from submission to publication of papers, will move very rapidly.
Instructions for Manuscript Submission
Following the model outlined above, manuscripts should be submitted electronically, preferably as an attachment to an email message to the editor. Refer to Appendix A below.
- The style of all manuscripts should follow the style and usage guidelines outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
- It will be more efficient for the author if the submitted manuscript is prepared in accordance with the detailed format specifications below, although this is not required until after final acceptance.
- The article should have an abstract. The abstract should be complete in itself and contain no more than 200 words.
- References should be at the end of the paper, following the style outlined in the APA Manual.
- References should be cited within the text following the APA Manual style. Please prepare complete and accurate citations and check them again after revisions to ensure that every article cited in the text appears in the Reference list and every article in the Reference list is cited in the text.
- Figures and their captions should be inserted into the text in the proper locations in the document.
- The author should provide Key words and a Running Head.
- Notes and footnotes should be kept to a minimum.
- Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from copyright owners for quotations of greater than 500 words or for reprinting tables or figures.
Preparation of Final Manuscript File
Upon final acceptance of a manuscript, authors must provide an electronic file containing the final version of the manuscript, formatted according to the detailed format specifications below. This formatted file will be used to produce both the electronic and hardcopy versions of the journal. To ensure that all articles published in the journal have a uniform appearance, we ask the authors to adhere to these specifications as closely as possible.
File format. The preferred format for the submitted file is Microsoft Word for the PC or MAC. Text and tables should be submitted in image format.
Figures. Figures and their captions should be inserted into the text in the proper locations in the document..
Detailed Format Specifications
For the final manuscript file, please follow the format specifications described below with respect to fonts, margins, headings, paragraph format, etc. Use italics where appropriate instead of underlining words to indicate that they are to be italics.
Page Layout
Papers must be formatted in single column format, fully justified. Left and right margins should be set to 1.7 inches. Top and bottom margins should be set to 1.5 inches, with header and footer 1 inch from edge of the paper.
Fonts and Format
All text, including title, headings, headers, footnotes, and page numbers, should be in Times New Roman or an equivalent serif style font. Please do not use nonstandard or unusual fonts in the paper.
Title and Authors. The title of the paper should be 14 point bold, small caps, left justified. It should start 1½ inches from the top of the page. Authors’ names should be 11 point, right justified, 33 points below the title of the paper. Authors’ affiliations should also be right justified below the author’s name(s) and should be italicized. Do not insert blank lines between authors or affiliations.
Abstract. The abstract appears at the beginning of the paper, 33 points below the last author’s affiliation. The text of the abstract should be 10 point, preceded by the word “ABSTRACT:” on the same line as the text of the abstract. Key words should be listed in 10 point type on the next line below the abstract, preceded by the words “Key words:” which are italicized. Although we encourage authors to list key words, the electronic version of the paper will be fully searchable through the local search engine on www.behavior.org.
Text. The text and body of the paper should be 11 point, fully justified. It should begin 11 points below the abstract or key words. We discourage the use of the automated hyphenization capability of word processors. Do not skip a line between paragraphs. The first line of each paragraph should be indented 0.3 inches.
Headings. First level headings should be 12 point bold, centered, with one blank line (11 points) before and after. Second level headings should be 11 point bold italic, left justified, with 11 point blank lines before and after. Third-level headings should be 11 point bold with an 11 point space (one blank line) before. No carriage return follows the third level heading. The paragraph, begins immediately after the heading on the same line.
All headings should be capitalized. Sections should not be numbered. Do not include a heading called “Introduction”—it is assumed that the first section is an introduction to the remainder of the paper.
Block Quotations. Block quotations should be set off from the main text in conformance with the APA Manual, which states:
Display a quotation of 40 words or more in a free-standing block of typewritten lines, and omit the quotation marks. (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association)
The block quotation should be 10 point font and should be indented 0.3 inch from the left and right margins. An 11 point space should precede and follow the block quotation.
References. The References section heading should be the same style as the first level heading. References should be formatted in accordance with the APA Manual. Each reference should be in 10 point type and should have all but the first line indented 0.3 inch from the left margin (a 0.3 inch “hanging” indent), with no space between references. Please remember to use italics rather than underlining in the appropriate places—e.g., book and journal titles.
Page numbering. It is prudent to number the pages of your manuscript. Final page numbers will be assigned by the publisher and will appear in the page proofs.
Appendices. Appendices, if any, follow the References. Each appendix should be lettered, e.g., “Appendix A.”
Figures and Tables. Figures and tables should be inserted with their captions in their proper places throughout the text in your final manuscript file. Number figures sequentially, e.g., Figure 1, and ensure that you refer to the figure slightly before the figure appears on the page Leave a margin of 0.3 inch around the area covered by the figure and caption. Captions, labels, and other text in illustrations must be at least 10 point font.
Footnotes. Please use footnotes only sparingly, since they may be difficult to read online. Footnotes should be numbered sequentially and should appear at the bottom of the page, as shown in this article.
Author’s Note and Running Head. Please include as a separate page at the end of the document file material for an Author’s Note. The Author’s Note contains contact information for the first author or other contact person. Please be sure to include the email address of the contact person. Acknowledgments of help from associates and colleagues, financial support, and permission to publish, if required, also appear in the Author’s Note. On this page also include a Running Head.
Contact Information
Behavioral and Philosophy
Editor: Dr. José E. Burgos
Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies
550 Newtown Road, Suite 950
Littleton, MA 01460
Telephone: (866) 509-0467 or (978) 369-2227
Fax: (866) 617-3331
BEHAVIORISM Availability
BEHAVIORISM, the journal, was founded in 1972 by Willard Day, a remarkable clinician/philosopher who nurtured a series of important, often ground-breaking essays that raised the visibility of contemporary behavioral thinking within the broader intellectual community. These comprised the first 13 years of the journal, which he handed over to the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies in 1984. In 1990 the journal was re-titled Behavior & Philosophy, and it has continued to the present day under a succession of capable editors.
Volumes available through JSTOR:
Behaviorism 1972 – 1989 (Volumes 1-17)
Behavior and Philosophy 1990 – 2011
If you do not have access to JSTOR through your university or organization and are in need of a specific article, contact Rebekah Pavlik, Communications and Member Services Coordinator. pa****@******or.org
Behavior and Philosophy, Volume 45 (2017)
Burgos, José (2017) Editorial. i-iii.
From Dr. José E. Burgos
This is the first volume of Behavior and Philosophy published during my tenure as editor. The volume includes one voluntary submission (Lazzeri’s paper) and five special invited papers (the rest of the papers). In a way, then, this is almost a special issue. The papers discuss various topics, from the nature and epistemic role of postulated internal mental states to parsimony, theoretical behaviorism, methodological considerations in clinical psychology, the ontology of behavior analysis, and free will in relation to the argument from responsibility. All of the papers are engaging and thought-provoking. Readers (including the authors themselves) are welcome to submit brief commentaries to these papers (about 1,500 words, not counting title or references; no abstract needed; only one target paper per commentator). Submitted commentaries will be treated as normal submissions and subject to a review process. If the commentaries are accepted, the authors of the target papers will have the chance to reply. As a novelty, and if logistically viable, we will contemplate the possibility of a brief dialogue between the authors and the commentators, where the latter might have the chance to reply to the replies, and the authors of the target paper to reply again (authors will have the last word of the exchange). We will see. No promises. Just an idea that we might consider for future volumes. (more)
Lazzeri, Filipe (2017) Extended Functionalism From A Behavioral Perspective. Behavior and Philosophy, 45, 1-21
Abstract: Mental (or psychological) phenomena (those we refer to by means of terms from so-called folk psychology; e.g., intentions, fears, reasoning processes) are often thought of as confined to the insides of the body. The extended mind view, like behavioral approaches, challenges this assumption, by claiming that some mental phenomena comprise external ingredients. Yet, unlike behavioral approaches, the extended mind view (e.g., as in Clark & Chalmers’ seminal paper) holds that these phenomena often, or depending on the category of mental phenomena always, happen inside the body altogether (which is acknowledged by certain behavioral approaches) and as non-behavioral causes of behaviors (an idea in general rejected by behavioral approaches). This paper highlights what I think are shortcomings of the extended mind view, with a focus upon the functionalist version thereof–extended functionalism. I suggest that this approach misses some major features of psychological concepts, and that it overlooks some behaviors as constituents of mental phenomena. The paper also suggests that a behavioral alternative, based upon contributions by Ryle and Skinner, among others, retains the qualities of extended functionalism while warding off its shortcomings.
Sober, Eliott (2017) Methodological Behaviorism, Causal Chains, and Causal Forks. Behavior and Philosophy, 45, 22-26
Abstract: B.F. Skinner argued that in a causal chain from an environmental cause, E, to an inner state, I, and then to a behavior, B, the prediction, explanation, and control of B can be achieved better by focusing on the environmental cause, E, than by focusing on the inner state, I. In particular, he claims that the observable relationship of E to B is not affected by whether the inner state, I, exists. The present paper evaluates Skinner’s claims and then shifts from a causal chain to a different causal arrangement, wherein two environmental states, E1 and E2, each causally contribute to a behavior, B. In this case, postulating an inner state, I, that is caused by both E1 and E2, and which causes I, affects one’s predictions concerning the relationship between environment and behavior.
Staddon, John (2017) Theoretical Behaviorism. Behavior and Philosophy, 45, 27-44
Abstract: B. F. Skinner’s radical behaviorism has been highly successful experimentally, revealing new phenomena with new methods. But Skinner’s dismissal of theory limited its development. Theoretical behaviorism recognizes that a historical system, an organism, has a state as well as sensitivity to stimuli and the ability to emit responses. Indeed, Skinner himself acknowledged the possibility of what he called “latent” responses in humans, even though he neglected to extend this idea to rats and pigeons. Latent responses constitute a repertoire, from which operant reinforcement can select. The paper describes some applications of theoretical behaviorism to operant learning.
Staddon, John (2017) Theoretical Behaviorism. Behavior and Philosophy, 45, 27-44
O’Donohue, William, Casas, Jena B., Szoke, Daniel R., Cheung, Dominique, Hmaidan, Reem I., Burleigh, Kenneth J. (2017) Scientific Progress in Clinical Psychology and Epistemically Virtuous Research. Behavior and Philosophy, 45, 45-63
Abstract: Meehl (1978) argued that clinical psychology has made slow scientific progress and in the subsequent forty years this situation unfortunately has not changed. This paper argues that the reasons for this slow progress is that science in clinical psychology is not being conducted well. Part of the problem is that the standard view that science controls for human cognitive weaknesses such as confirmation bias is too narrow. We argue that increased scientific progress may be achieved by conducting better science along four dimensions: 1) use of severe tests in the Neo-Popperian sense; 2) testing hypotheses of higher empirical content; 3) an increased orientation toward, and clarity of, problem solving in research; and 4) executing these with increased epistemic virtue, particularly in the design and reporting of such tests. Good science may require good character and a proper appraisal of research may require increased attention to relevant epistemic virtues.
Baum, William M. (2017) Ontology For Behavior Analysis: Not Realism, Classes, Or Objects, But Individuals And Processes. Behavior and Philosophy, 45, 64-78
Abstract: Realism, defined as belief in a real world separate from perception, is incompatible with a science of behavior. Alternatives to it include Eastern philosophy, which holds that the world is only perception, and pragmatism, which dismisses the belief as irrelevant. The reason realism is incompatible with a science of behavior is that separating perception of objects from real objects leads directly to subjective-objective or inner-outer dualism. This dualism, in turn, leads directly to mentalism, the practice of offering inner entities as explanations of behavior. Positing unobservable causes renders a science incoherent. Ontology for behavior requires two distinctions: (a) between classes and individuals; and (b) between objects and processes. These distinctions allow a workable ontology in which behavior consists of activities that are extended in time (i.e., processes) and are ontological individuals—functional wholes with parts that also are activities. Such an ontology provides coherence to a science of behavior.
Hocutt, Max (2017) Just Responsibility. Behavior and Philosophy, 45, 79-89
Abstract: It is generally assumed that responsibility for one’s deeds should be assessed using a priori legal and moral standards. However, we know no such standards. Therefore, we must use our own man-made standards. Accordingly, the empirical meaning of being responsible is liability under the applicable rules to being held responsible. Responsibility is assigned, not discovered.
Hocutt, Max (2017) Just Responsibility. Behavior and Philosophy, 45, 79-89