We see them here, we see them there, we see behaviors everywhere;
sometimes they're better and sometimes they're worse; and here's a curse:
How come we count and quantify Some Thing we know not what It is; and isn't?
How come we count and quantify Some Thing we know not what It is; and isn't?
But hark!
Just for a lark,
Let's suppose we look at a Person;
Or perhaps a Rat,
Whose little feet go pit-a-pat.
Now he's moving, now he's not!
What's he have? What's he got?
He's got substance; he has matter. some times he's thin, sometimes he's fatter.
He can be large, and he can be smaller, sometimes he's short, and sometimes
he's taller. Whatever the cult, Rats have Gestalt.
he's taller. Whatever the cult, Rats have Gestalt.
At times they're heavy; at others they're lighter,
And some rats are black. And others are whiter;
But the Rats are the Things.
And Rats are creatures with many features.
And Rats are creatures with many features.
Rats move by day; rats move by night, at times to the left, at times to the right.
And sometimes they run; sometimes they rest.
Rats may be weary and full of zest: they go to the East and they go to the West;
In fact, on inspection, in any direction .... without being pushed ... quite freely ...
and to perfection.
and to perfection.
When not at their best,
They’re merely a pest.
They’re merely a pest.
And yet, Rats are the Things: not their behavior!
You see them here you see them there, organisms everywhere!
Whether the whole or whether the part,
Whether they halt or whether they start.
They can be mobile and that is their nature;
but here’s the sting: "behavior" per se isn't a Thing.
but here’s the sting: "behavior" per se isn't a Thing.
The use of abstract nouns may lead us out of bounds!
Some Nouns we could curb --- in favour of the Verb.
"Behaving" has a better ring,
And then we see:
An organism is the Thing.
An organism is the Thing.
We see them here, we see them there, adults, children everywhere.
When they're behaving, all's well, all's good.
It's only normal that they could,
It's only natural that they should.
But if behaving they are Not,
It's not so normal, not so hot.
It’s a Shame.
And they're to blame.
They're given a name and put in a frame,
Or simply pushed back to whence they came.
They have no claim - they lose the game.
/Behaving / and /Not behaving / is not the same.
As 'behaviors' we negate - the persons we disqualify.
How come we count and quantify behavior all alone?
Forgetting to identify the creatures on their own?
Beware of Abstract Nouns!
They aren't Proper.
Beware of Abstract Nouns!
They aren't Proper.
Sometimes it makes a lot more sense
When with abstractions we dispense
When with abstractions we dispense
To get a better view of Rat and Homo Sapiens --- in motion ---
I have a notion
Mortals can be well-behaved,
Even when they're not afraid.
If they run AND if they pause
It isn’t always just because
They fear the laws.
Something fair is also there! October, 1987
* In response to What is behavior? Can there be behavior without movement?
Something fair is also there! October, 1987
* In response to What is behavior? Can there be behavior without movement?
and: There is no essence of behavior; We reinforce behavior, not individuals;
We don't punish organisms, we punish behavior; et cetera (1984).
Behavior scientists taught me about such oversights.
And anyone is susceptible to lingual conditioning ... and also to reconditioning.
I experienced this when imagining graphic data
picturing mobility on cumulative records, language and perceptions change
and revised interpretation of Pavlov's, Skinner's, Sidman's work comes narurally
... within a laboratory and in the world at large.
Were it not for reification - calling a process or an activity a thing - psychology might be a natural science.
Dr. Malott (1995) was thinking of 'id', 'ego' and 'superego' but what of 'behavior'?
This issue still begs for consensus with a slight shift in emphasis:
from the behavior of organisms > to the behavior of organisms.
As for the animals in expanded research, we may add another verse:
Treat them kindly, treat them well. Watch them listening to the Bell!
Show them signs, give them signals. Don't be formal, be their guide.
Keep them fit, keep them lively!
Let them move, let them stay, let them look and let them listen, let them
act; let them see from far and near; they can hear from close and distant.
We could learn and we could teach,
Just how good the normal is.
And aim for this and hope to reach!
I realize scientists write better verses and could take insights further along.
Revised: August 5, 2011
June 26, 2012
We don't punish organisms, we punish behavior; et cetera (1984).
Behavior scientists taught me about such oversights.
And anyone is susceptible to lingual conditioning ... and also to reconditioning.
I experienced this when imagining graphic data
picturing mobility on cumulative records, language and perceptions change
and revised interpretation of Pavlov's, Skinner's, Sidman's work comes narurally
... within a laboratory and in the world at large.
Were it not for reification - calling a process or an activity a thing - psychology might be a natural science.
Dr. Malott (1995) was thinking of 'id', 'ego' and 'superego' but what of 'behavior'?
This issue still begs for consensus with a slight shift in emphasis:
from the behavior of organisms > to the behavior of organisms.
As for the animals in expanded research, we may add another verse:
Treat them kindly, treat them well. Watch them listening to the Bell!
Show them signs, give them signals. Don't be formal, be their guide.
Keep them fit, keep them lively!
Let them move, let them stay, let them look and let them listen, let them
act; let them see from far and near; they can hear from close and distant.
We could learn and we could teach,
Just how good the normal is.
And aim for this and hope to reach!
I realize scientists write better verses and could take insights further along.
Revised: August 5, 2011
June 26, 2012
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