An Architect of the Golden Years

摘要

William H. Morse has played a major role in the experimental analysis of behavior. His view of operant behavior as the outcome of differential reinforcement provides an invaluable lesson in scientific research and theory. He studied schedules of reinforcement to generate an in-depth analysis of the complex interactions existing when contingencies exert their control over behavior. He has been instrumental in showing how behavior is determined by the dynamic interaction of factors brought into play by the imposition of any schedule, and he has a remarkably intuitive understanding of the nature of these determining variables. Some of these causal events are imposed directly by the schedule, but others arise in a more indirect manner through necessary constraints. In Morse's view, schedules can be more fundamental in determining behavior than are the scheduled events themselves. Behavior is the shaped product of an organism's history in combination with present environmental conditions. His impact deserves to be more than historical: A study of his work continues to reward the reader with exciting insights into the nature of behavioral control.