Prometheus Books The Science of Consequences: How They Affect Genes, Change the Brain, and Impact Our World

Bought as a present. Have been told by the recipient that it is interesting and well worth reading, so would recommend purchasing.

Dr. Schneider's The Science of Consequences is an enjoyable and easy to read exploration of several overlapping disciplines that attempt to explain our behavior and the behavior of all organisms. The author brings together research from evolutionary biology, neurology, physiology, genetics, ethology, and to a larger extent behavior analysis to give the reader real answers to why animals (humans included!) do what they do. Personally, I am a graduate student in behavior analysis and I found the later chapters of the book to be an excellent introduction to that discipline. I myself have been exposed to classes and more technical writings in behavior analysis, and I still learned a great deal about the related disciplines in the life sciences. Most influential to me was Dr. Schneider's analysis of how evolution interacts with and is interacted upon by the learning that occurs over the lifetime of individual organisms. Even within behavior analysis Dr. Schneider referred to research I had not been exposed to previously. The text is very accessible and weaves through many, many research studies from a variety of disciplines without becoming confusing or intimidating. Dr. Schneider very fluidly refers to the conclusions of studies, only diving into the methods when they are relevant. After some preliminary chapters on genetics and evolution, nearly two-thirds of the book covers behavior analysis, the natural science of behavior that far too few are introduced to in their education. Far from pop-psychology, behavior analysis offers a true science of behavior, and Dr. Schneider will hopefully reach a large audience with this very clear introduction. Dr. Schneider has not achieved clarity through simplicity, however; she has delved into behavior's trickiest subjects such as private events, social/verbal behavior and self-control. A strong research base and bibliography will hopefully guide the curious or the skeptic to more heady reads in the science of behavior. As a student of behavior analysis I found some minor issues with Dr. Schneider's terminology and her reluctance to correct common misunderstandings between the terms "negative reinforcement" and "punishment", instead she refrains from using either term and calls punishers "negatives". I've corresponded with Dr. Schneider and can understand her reasoning for using those terms to make the text as accessible as possible to those outside the field. In that regard I happily concede that she succeeded. This is a minor and rather academic quibble, the only issue I have is if readers move from this book to more technical writing and are met with contradictions in terms. If you are an appreciator of science, you should pick up this book. If you loved psychology classes in high school or your undergraduate studies, you will love this book and wish you read it sooner. If you are a budding or established behavior analyst, you will learn a lot about our related subjects and appreciate what Dr. Schneider has done.

In The Science of Consequences, Susan Schneider successfully begins to build a much needed bridge between the science of human behaviour and the biological processes that underlie this science. I would absolutely recommend this book to students, faculty, and professionals who aspire to have a better understanding of the human condition, and why conditioning procedures are effective with the clients that they serve.

The print looks like Xerox copy.

Susan Schneider's book "The Science of Consequences" is a very welcome treatment of a little known science (behavior analysis) and its many implications for both human and non-human animal behavior. This book is a gem, full of great examples of the pervasiveness of consequences as causal determinants of behavior, even when their subtlety obscures them from view. I'm not aware of a book that does as good a job describing not only the sometimes surprising effects of consequences, but also their intimate interplay with our biology. The book's engaging writing style and accessibility to a non-technical audience deserves special mention. A book like this has been long in coming and deserves a large readership.