There is a ton of usable information in this book. The problem is getting past the jargon and text book manner in which it is written. It really is more for university students than the lay person. Keep in mind that it is a text book for 2 consecutive psychology semesters. So, if the answers do not jump out at you, then do not get frustrated. I have read it through a few times and still do not grasp some of it. If you have the patience to apply something as simple as the operant conditioning, you can actually make a habit within a month. For instance, I used to reward myself with 15 minutes of fiction reading for every chapter of biology that I read. Result? I went from a D to a B within a couple of months. I have helped some of my clients do the same procedure with quitting smoking and sticking with fitness plans. This book is one of the few university text books that I kept after my degree.

Doug Setter, Bachelor of Human Ecology, author of Stomach Flattening and One Less Victim

This is a very detailed book about behavior modification. It literally traces the history of behavioral modification from its origins and progresses into actual techniques that can be used in a variety of setting. Some of the chapters are quite dense, yet interesting. There is a comprehensive summary and the authors do a wonderful job with breaking down large units of information into readable points. There is a useful guide for functional analysis provided. The behavior contract is generic, but a decent basis for a individualized one. Finally, many behavioral methods are explained in simple terms and there are numerous examples that illustrate their usefulness.

I think it is very difficult to follow. I think it uses too many acronyms.

This book is a great tool for any professional who works with children or adults using behavioral techniques. The methods are explained clearly with examples for application purposes. Anyone from a parent to a clinic director can benefit from this thorough and well written 'manual' for Behavior Modification.

The description was not accurate and I believed it to be the actual text book not the work book that it really was.

The description was not accurate and I believed it to be the actual text book not the work book that it really was.

I found this book to be written in a way that is very easy to comprehend, and expresses the ideas clearly. The chapters are short and concise. This book is a great tool to use not only for classes, but to refer to in the future.

I have a son with autism, a wife who is a psychologist and I run a home ABA program as well as helping in my son's pre-school that is instituting an ABA progam. You cannot go wrong with this book. The fact that this book is in it's 8th edition and is used by many college programs speaks to it's strengths. I did read the one dissenting review where it lowered someone's GPA because they did not understand or test well on the material. ABA is deceptive. While it is the just the science of good learning there is a lot of skill and aptitude needed. Being a member of T.O.P.S., Intertel, Mensa, the International High IQ society to name a few I can see that this is not for everyone. Some people are good at being students, some people are good at understanding and implementing good science; with ABA you need to be in the latter group. If you want a good starting/comprehensive book with a lot of meat on the bone this is the one.

As a psychology student, I encounted this book in a behavioral modification course. I was not overly impressed by it, but it does have it's usefulness.
For anyone interested in behavior modification, or behavior therapy - whether as an educator, clinician, or even a parent (who might be wondering why their child doesn't seem to be responding to certain "punishment" perhaps?) - this text is written and laid out in a very simple, easily accessible format. Case studies or examples are provided to illustrate the application of new concepts, and most of them are very well chosen. Regardless of prior education on the subject, most individuals will be able to understand it and gain new knowlege that they can apply in the real world.
HOWEVER. The chapters, while short, are at times very repetitive - it becomes very hard to follow (motivationally) when you find yourself reading the same concept five times. The book can also seem very dry, and it makes it very tempting to skip over entire sections just to find something more engaging or interesting. Although this book is very easily read and understood - potential readers need to be warned (and actually are in the beginning) that finishing this text will not dramatically increase their ability to change other people, and that any behavioral modification procedures should be used with extreme caution - many behavioral problems result from behavioral modification that was improperly designed or administered! My last word of caution would be that although the majority of these techniques will work in nearly all cases, there will be some cases in which, due to context or individual factors, they will not. Be sure to read it while keeping an open mind to considering practicality and ethical applicability.

I used this book as a special education undergraduate. I found it contained all of the essential information in a format that was not bogged down with technical language. I have since loaned the book to several parents who found its information useful and its style easy and unintimidating. It is full of common, everyday examples in order to help one transition from the theoretical to the concrete.

I am a student at Ohio University and I have had the unpleasant experience of having to use this particular book for 3 quarters now and I absolutely hate it I think it is the most ambiguous mess I have ever seen it is confusing and redundant. My professor who is using the book for this term is now dropping the book also! He feels the same as myself and all of the students who have had to endure this book. I am so glad future students will not have to struggle with this in the future....by the way I was a 4.0 student until this particular class and the use of this book my average has now dropped to a 3.8. I am a straight A student in EVERY other aspect of my college career. I will bring my average back to the 4.0 I am used, to with no thanks to this book and its rediculous content.

This book provides an excellent introduction to behavioral theory and practice. The examples are interesting and helpful.

This is a textbook...but very interesting and readable. It covers the basic concepts of applied and theoretical behavior modification (continuous reinforcement, extinction, shaping, intermittent reinforcement and all its reinforcement schedules, stimulus control, fading, conditioned reinforcement, chaining, generalization, punishment, escape and avoidance conditioning, respondent conditioning, instruction, modeling, guidance, situational inducement, as well as gathering and assessing data, researching, and designing programs and lots of other things...) and even though I am not a student at a school or university, I have taken to completing the study questions and exercises at the end of each chapter just for a greater understanding of the topic. This book is very practical and deals with case studies and references to other studies. Both authors seem to have large amounts of personal experience with behaviorism, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the whole thing the first time through, and am enjoying my second round even more now that I can grasp the concepts a little better. Behaviorism is presented in the way it should be: as a science subject to skepticism, replication, and the scientific method in general. Even so, this book isn't so dry that you need to add water.