Science and Human Behavior translated into Portuguese: Ciência e Comportamento Humano.
Skinner’s main textbook has been taught nonstop in Brazil since 1967, proving its staying power for training new behavior analysts.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Claudio tracked how Skinner’s 1953 book Science and Human Behavior spread after it was translated into Portuguese in 1967.
He looked at university catalogs and talked to professors.
The paper is a short history, not an experiment.
What they found
The book has been used every year in Brazilian psychology courses since 1967.
Professors still assign it today because it gives a clear, complete picture of operant principles.
How this fits with other research
Neuringer (2023) shows Skinner’s ideas are still debated. He asked how ‘voluntary’ fits with operant control. The Brazilian case proves the same text keeps teaching the basics that Neuringer re-examines.
Bachá-Méndez et al. (2007) tested resurgence in rats. Their lab data line up with the chapters Brazilian students read on extinction. The translation gave students the theory before the 2007 study gave us the new lab detail.
Kuroda et al. (2018) found that response-reinforcer correlation, not just immediate reward, drives behavior. Skinner’s book introduces correlation ideas; Kuroda’s data sharpen them.
Why it matters
If you run staff training, you can trust the Portuguese version for a solid history-of-ABA module. Point to Brazil’s 50-year track record when defending Skinner’s place in graduate syllabi. It shows the concepts stay useful long after the book age.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Science and Human Behavior was translated to Portuguese as part of the effort to begin a psychology course at the University of Brasília 40 years ago; one of the many results of the first visit of Fred S. Keller to Brazil. The book has been used continuously in undergraduate courses in Brazil since 1967.
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 2003 · doi:10.1901/jeab.2003.80-341