Howard Rachlin Explained

Howard Rachlin (1935–2021) was an American psychologist and the founder of teleological behaviorism.^[1] He was Emeritus Research Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology at Stony Brook University in New York. His initial work was in the quantitative analysis of operant behavior in pigeons, on which he worked with William M. Baum, developing ideas from Richard Herrnstein's matching law.^[2] He subsequently became one of the founders of Behavioral Economics.^[3]

His most recent research focused on patterns of choice over time and how those patterns affect self-control (on which he worked with George Ainslie), including cooperation over time. His interests in Behavioral Economics included: decision making, the prisoner's dilemma, addiction, and gambling. He was one of the first board members of the Society for Quantitative Analysis of Behavior.

He was married to the novelist Nahid Rachlin. They had a daughter, Leila.^[4]

Books

• Introduction to modern behaviorism (1970)
• Behavior and learning (1976)
• Behaviorism in everyday life (1980)
• Judgment, decision, and choice: a cognitive/behavioral synthesis (1989)
• Behavior and mind: the roots to modern psychology (1994)
• Science of self-control (2000)
• The escape of the mind (2014)

Sources

• Rachlin H . Behavioral economics without anomalies . J Exp Anal Behav . 64 . 3 . 397–404 . November 1995 . 8551195 . 1350146 . 10.1901/jeab.1995.64-397 .
• Rachlin H . Altruism and selfishness . Behav Brain Sci . 25 . 2 . 239–50; discussion 251–96 . April 2002 . 12744145 . 10.1017/S0140525X02000055. 2027.42/83666 . free .
• Rachlin H . Notes on discounting . J Exp Anal Behav . 85 . 3 . 425–35 . May 2006 . 16776060 . 1459845 . 10.1901/jeab.2006.85-05.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Teleological Behaviorism And Its Implications For Psychology . Psychologist World . 1 January 2015 . While its founder, Howard Rachlin, builds off the writings of Tolman and Bandura, the discipline as a whole tends to hedge closer to the Behavioral side of the Behavioral-Cognitive dichotomy..
2. Web site: Honorary Members . Polish Society for Behavioral Psychology.
3. Killeen . Peter . Green . Leonard . Neuringer . Allen . Allen Neuringer . November 2021 . Howard Rachlin (1935–2021). . . 76 . 8 . 1349 . 10.1037/amp0000908 . he was one of the founders of behavioral economics..
4. Book: Contemporary authors new revision series. Volume 120 : bio-bibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, television, and other fields . . 2004 . 0-7876-6712-9 . Peacock . Scot . Detroit . 327 . Rachlin, Nahid 1944- . November 12, 2023 . https://archive.org/details/contemporaryauth0120unse/page/326/mode/2up . registration . Internet Archive.