John Alcock (2013). Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach, 10th Edition: Sunderland, MA: Sinauer
The tenth edition of this very popular text focuses first on the evolutionary basis of behavior followed by the underlying proximate mechanisms underlying animal behavior. Beautifully illustrated and easy to read, the book explores the evolutionary puzzles provided by developmental and neuro-physiological mechanisms. Alcock is a brilliant biologist who has the ability to convey excitement about the science of animal behavior on every page.
B. F. Skinner (1978). Reflections on behaviorism and society. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Skinner—who wanted to be a novelist before he went into psychology—is always fun to read, and there is no better way to begin than with this collection of essays. The titles include “Human Behavior and Democracy,” “Why I Am Not a Cognitive Psychologist,” “The Free and Happy Student,” “The Force of Coincidence,” and “Freedom and Dignity Revisited.” You will find here Skinner’s basic philosophy about psychology and his suggestions for using behavioral learning principles to improve society.
Stephen Ray Flora (2004). The power of reinforcement. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Flora, in the tradition of Skinner, is an unabashed advocate for the deliberate use of positive reinforcement (rewards) to improve people’s behavior. In this clearly written, well-argued work, Flora advocates the intelligent use of reinforcement in parenting, educational settings, correctional institutions, and health-improvement programs.
He presents the case against what he sees as harmful “myths” about reinforcement—that it is “rat psychology,” that it undermines intrinsic motivation and creativity, and that it runs counter to people’s experience of freedom and self-worth.
Mark E. Bouton (2007). Learning and behavior: A contemporary synthesis. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates.
Bouton is a leading researcher on classical conditioning, and this is a well-written textbook on basic principles of learning, dealing especially with classical and operant conditioning. Bouton does a good job of presenting basic research finding in a context of history, big psychological ideas, biological relevance, and practical application that helps to stimulate the reader’s thinking and motivate further reading.
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Robert C. Bolles & Michael Beecher (Eds.) (1988). Evolution and learning. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
This collection of essays, each by one or more specialists in the subject, shows how the traditions of laboratory research on learning and naturalistic studies of animals in the wild have merged and begun to provide rich detail about species-typical learning processes. The book begins with historical chapters about the relationship of learning theory to evolutionary theory, then turns to studies of learning in such biologically important domains as feeding, defending against predators, and sexual behavior. The book is a bit out of date, but is still, we think, the best work available on the integration of evolutionary theory and research on learning.
Kennon A. Lattal & Philip N. Chase (Eds.) (2003). Behavior theory and philosophy. New York, NY: Kluwer Academic.
This collection of papers from more than a dozen influential behavior scientists explores the theory and philosophy behind radical behaviorism in the style of B. F. Skinner. With an emphasis on empirical methodology, the ideas outlined in this book closely examine how operant conditioning affects all aspects of human life, from philosophy and language to education and business.
Amy Sutherland (2008). What Shamu taught me about life, love, and marriage: Lessons for people from animals and their trainers. New York: Random House, Inc.
This fun and inspiring book follows journalist and speaker Amy Sutherland’s exploration of applied behavior analysis from an outsider’s perspective. Through her observations of professional animal trainers, she discovers how operant conditioning can enrich our own lives. This book is definitely an entertaining and eye-opening read.
Operation Migration.
www.operationmigration.org
Operation Migration is a non-profit organization that conducts migration studies and uses ultralight aircraft to help restore migrating populations of whooping cranes to Florida. It’s a fascinating look at how cranes learn to survive in the wild and learn to follow an aircraft piloted by a human. One of the founders, William Lishman made ornithological and aviation history by leading a flock of 12 Canadian geese that had imprinted on him, bonding to his plane as if it was a mother goose. In 1994, he and partner Joseph Duff led the first aircraft migration of 18 geese from Ontario to Virginia—a trip that became the basis for the Hollywood film Fly Away Home.