scholarly journals Basic Incompatibilities between Evolutionary and Behavioral Archaeology

1998 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 485-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. O'Brien ◽  
R. Lee Lyman ◽  
Robert D. Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Human Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Change ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Mechanisms Of Change ◽  
Historical Contingency ◽  
Evolutionary Archaeology ◽  
Behavioral Archaeology ◽  
Past Behavior ◽  
Fundamental Reason

Schiffer (1996) recently proposed that, despite some incompatibilities, considerable common ground exists between behavioral archaeology and evolutionary, or selectionist, archaeology. He concludes that there is no fundamental reason why the two approaches cannot work in concert to explain human behavioral change. There are, however, several important reasons why the two programs, at least as currently conceived, cannot work together in any thoroughly integrated fashion. Although both programs employ inference, behavioral archaeology conflates the distinct roles of configurational and immanent properties, searches for nomothetic answers to questions about human behavior, overlooks historical contingency when inferring and explaining the nature of past behavior, and in some cases seems to fall back on vitalism as the mechanism of change. Evolutionary archaeology employs immanent properties inferentially, explicitly acknowledges the importance of the historical contingencies of configurational properties, explains human behavior as being time- and spacebound, and calls upon selection and drift (transmission) as the mechanisms of change. Any attempt to integrate the two approaches must begin by addressing these basic differences.

Some Relationships between Behavioral and Evolutionary Archaeologies

1996 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 643-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Brian Schiffer
Keyword(s):  
Common Ground ◽  
Evolutionary Change ◽  
Scientific Enterprise ◽  
Behavioral Archaeology ◽  
Social Theories ◽  
Fundamental Reason ◽  
Case Basis

Diversity in archaeology's social theories is desirable, but factioning of the discipline into antagonistic, paradigm-based camps undermines the scientific enterprise. In order to promote efforts at building bridges between different theoretical programs, this paper examines relationships between behavioral archaeology and evolutionary (selectionist) archaeology. Potential common ground is brought to light, incompatibilities are critically examined, and possible synergies are explored. It is concluded that there is no fundamental reason why these two programs cannot work in concert to achieve the goal of explaining behavioral (or evolutionary) change in human societies. Whether productive relationships can be established between other programs remains to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

More obstacles on the road to unification

2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Alden Smith
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Real World ◽  
Institutional Constraints ◽  
Historical Contingency ◽  
Behavioral Sciences ◽  
The Road ◽  
On The Road

The synthesis proposed by Gintis is valuable but insufficient. Greater consideration must be given to epistemological diversity within the behavioral sciences, to incorporating historical contingency and institutional constraints on decision-making, and to vigorously testing deductive models of human behavior in real-world contexts.

Schema Theory: A Framework for Research and Practice in Psychotherapy

1988 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry M. Pace
Keyword(s):  
Human Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Change ◽  
Schema Theory ◽  
Past Experience ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Cognitive Structures ◽  
Cognitive Schema ◽  
Theoretical Construct ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Theoretical Foundations

Both the nature of human problems and the process of behavioral change are increasingly being viewed from a cognitive-structural perspective. The concept of a cognitive schema seems to be the major theoretical construct used by researchers studying how cognitive structures influence human behavior. Schemas are fundamental cognitive structures, derived from past experience. Schemas operate by selectively organizing the on-going experience of each person into subjectively meaningful patterns. Through the operation of schemas, people are active constructors of their own psychological realities. This article presents an overview of the philosophical, historical, and theoretical foundations of schema theory. The relevance of schema theory for psychotherapy is presented through a discussion of schema oriented cognitive-behavioral theorists. A specific application of a schema framework in psychotherapy is illustrated by research on depressive self-schemas. It is hoped this article will serve as a stimulus to the continued application of schema oriented cognitive-structural approaches to research and practice in psychotherapy.

Ethnoarchaeology and Behaviorism: Comments on Gilman's Review of Ethnography by Archaeologists

1985 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 878-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Hampton Adams
Keyword(s):  
Human Behavior ◽  
American Antiquity ◽  
Proper Understanding ◽  
The Past ◽  
Past Behavior

AbstractBehaviorism is but one part of the broader scope of ethnoarchaeological research and must be joined with historical approaches for proper understanding of the past.In her review of Ethnography by Archaeologists edited by Elisabeth Tooker {American Antiquity 49:442-443), Patricia Gilman emphasized one aspect of ethnoarchaeology, behaviorism, and faulted many of the contributors for not presenting general explanations of human behavior. Gilman primarily stresses the synchronic study of modern behavior as an analog for past behavior. While this is certainly a worthwhile endeavor for ethnographers, to equate such research with all of ethnoarchaeology is, I think, unduly restricting the definition. Such research is simply ethnography, because it places the researcher as an observer and interviewer in modern communities, examining behavioral and physical relationships among modern data. Rarely do such studies place this research in any evolutionary or historical framework.

scholarly journals Developing a Planned Intervention Using the Behavior Change Model to Improve Self-control of Healthcare Employees: A Longitudinal Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
saeed Hameed aldulaimi ◽  
Marwan Mohamed Abdeldayem ◽  
Mohamed Noureldin A. Abdelhakim
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Change ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Change ◽  
Self Control ◽  
New Method ◽  
Control Scale ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Stage 1 ◽  
Post Assessment ◽  
Healthcare Employees

Abstract Background The purpose of this study is to develop a planned intervention in the health care sector in Bahrain to improve self-control of healthcare’ employees by using the new method for characterizing and designing behavior change i.e. the Behavioral Change Wheel (BCW). Hence, the study is applying a longitudinal methodology in the healthcare sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain for a sample of 64 participants over three-month period (from November 2019 to January 2020). Methods Procedures of this planned change task went through three stages based on Kurt Lewin change field theory, Stage 1: pre-assessment of employees’ self-control using the Brief Self Control Scale (BSCS) questionnaire. Stage 2: planned intervention via employing the Behavioral Change Wheel (BCW) as a new method of change. Stage 3: post assessment was conducted by repeating the self-control measurement, then comparing the new results with the previous ones. Results The findings reveal that the 13-Items of Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) provided different results over the three stages of the study. In stage 1 (pre-assessment) self-control level was low, while the result show optimization of self-control in stage 3 (post assessment). Conclusion This study adds to the body of knowledge by developing and validating a new model in change human behavior i.e. the change behavior stages (CBS) model. Practically, this study is one of its kind to apply the Brief Self Control Scale (BSCS) and the Behavioral Change Wheel (BCW) in health sector in the Middle East. The BCW has been also confirmed as a “valid” and “reliable” instrument that can be utilized by future researchers to improve human behavior in organizations.

scholarly journals Policy Note: Digital Feedback-based Interventions for Water Conservation

2021 ◽  
pp. 2071004
Author(s):  
Kris Hartley ◽  
Nicole Sher Wen Lim ◽  
Cecilia Tortajada
Keyword(s):  
Human Behavior ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Behavioral Change ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Integration ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Underlying Theme ◽  
Individual Human

Progress in water conservation is dependent as much on human behavior as on the promise of new technologies. Digital feedback-based interventions present an opportunity to bring these two factors together, as increasingly sophisticated technologies can help change behaviors rather than simply solving problems caused by those behaviors. This paper explores the various options and opportunities for adopting feedback-based interventions — those that communicate information for the purpose of encouraging individuals to alter water consumption habits. Lessons proposed are applicable to any realm in which individual human behavior contributes to a collective environmental or social problem. Focusing on five determinants of success (design, delivery, content, integration, and commitment), this paper presents findings of related studies and fashions them into a suite of recommendations that serves as a template for practice and agenda for future research. The underlying theme — that technology is no absolute substitute for behavioral change but can be one catalyst for it — contributes to broader discussions about the relationship between human systems and the environment.

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