Very apt -- thanks for the reminder. Some context for anyone who actually reads it: Denny Delprato is an Interbehaviorist (a follower of J.R.Kantor -- one of those intrafaith schisms which don't signify much to outsiders). His references to Powers' Perceptual Control Theory are consistent with Interbehaviorism's status as a field theory. I'm not aware that PCT has spun off much in the way of application, and most applications developed by Interbehaviorists are quite consistent with mainstream Behavior Analysis and are published in the same journals (Psych Record was originated by Kantor).
In today's social/political climate most interventions are of necessity minimally coercive (Sidman's real point). The question of whether one can control (produce a change in behavior) without controlling is more a philosophical one. On Jan 7, 2009, at 11:14 AM, [email protected] wrote: > For anyone interested, interesting review of Sidman by Dennis > Delprato: > Dennis J. Delprato "Beyond Murray Sidman's 'Coercion and Its > Fallout.'". Psychological Record, The. > > FindArticles.com. 07 Jan. 2009. > > http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3538/is_n3_v45/ai_n28657020 > > In Coercion and Its Fallout, Sidman (1989) proposes that coercion > is at the root of many harmful and ineffective interpersonal and > social practices. After critically examining coercion, he offers an > alternative in the form of positive reinforcement based on > naturally occurring deprivations. This paper proposes that Sidman's > thesis can be extended by the incorporation of Goldiamond's > constructional approach and Powers's perceptual control theory. It > argues that the latter provides a coherent framework for > understanding the effects of coercion and how there might even be > negative side effects of the use of positive reinforcement. > > Steven Hall > Butte Community College, Oroville, CA > [email protected] Paul Brandon Emeritus Professor of Psychology Minnesota State University, Mankato [email protected] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
