Personal Narratives on the Behavior Analysis of Human Language and Cognition

This volume unveils the untold personal narratives behind the scientific study of human language and cognition from a behavioral perspective. Moving beyond the formal record of published research, it captures the passion, debates, failures, and moments of discovery that have shaped this transformative field over the past seventy years and beyond. Through these stories, readers gain a deeper understanding of the human experiences that drive the quest to build a natural science of human behavior.

Structured as a compelling historical narrative, the book traces the evolution of the field from Skinner’s Verbal Behavior to groundbreaking developments in areas such as rule-governed behavior, stimulus equivalence, relational frame theory, and naming theory. Contributors, ranging from foundational figures to contemporary innovators, share candid accounts of intellectual rebellion, collaboration, mentorship, and the challenges of translating complex science into practice. These narratives highlight the pivotal role of global exchange, persistence, and the lived experiences of scientists in advancing the field.

This book is an essential resource for scholars, students, researchers, and practitioners in behavior analysis and psychology, as well as historians and philosophers of science. Its engaging and personal storytelling makes it ideal for graduate and undergraduate courses, while offering invaluable insights for anyone curious about the history of science and the people who shape it.

Colin Harte is a senior research fellow at the Federal University of Sao Carlos, Brazil. His career to date has primarily focused on the behavior-analytic study of human language and cognition, as well as advocating for more cooperation and collaboration within the field’s approach to this domain.

Dermot Barnes-Holmes is a professor in the School of Psychology at Ulster University, Northern Ireland, and has published widely on relational frame theory and related areas in behavior analysis.

Maithri Sivaraman an assistant professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, USA. She studies language acquisition in neurotypical and neurodivergent children. Prior to her current position, she established the Tendrils Centre for Autism in India, offering services for neurodivergent children. She writes a blog on early childhood development for Psychology Today.

Julio C. de Rose is a professor at the Department of Psychology at the Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil, and Research Director of the National Institute of Science and Technology on Behavior, Cognition, and Teaching (INCT-ECC), from 2017 to 2025.

Julian C. Leslie. Following a doctorate at Oxford University, Julian Leslie has taught and researched behavior analysis in Northern Ireland for 50 years. He has authored several textbooks and was co-founder of the Behavior Analysis in Ireland group. He is a fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International.