Misconception and miseducation: Presentations of radical behaviorism in psychology textbooks

Abstract

Analyzed 40 currently used textbooks in the areas of introductory, social, cognitive, personality, and developmental psychology to determine the incidence of misrepresentation of behaviorism. Findings show that topics on which behavior analysis is most often misrepresented relate to the role of animal learning research, environmentalism, the empty organism, language, and the overall utility of the approach. Because textbooks are often a major medium of interaction between the public and behaviorism, it is suggested that behavior analysts must work to correct these errors and to prevent possible negative consequences of widespread misunderstanding. Several potential solutions to these problems are presented that take into account current publishing practices and the monetary contingencies that support them.