Mealey's data do not support her dichotomous model of primary and secondary sociopathy; this data supports the view that there is a continuum of degrees of sociopathy, from zero to the maximal manifestation. There are multitudes of factors that can contribute to sociopathy and the countless different mixes of them can produce multiple degrees and variations of sociopathic behavior.

If biologists are going to incorporate learning into theories of animal behavior, why not go all the way and incorporate the enormous literatures on Pavlovian conditioning, plus those on operant and observational learning?

Few contemporary behaviorists are aware of the importance of George Herbert Mead's contributions to the philosophy of behaviorism. Mead's work on agency and determinism are presented to provide a sample of his ideas on issues that are of significant importance to current debates in behaviorism. His ideas are then compared with Skinner's positions on related issues, revealing significant similarities in their scientific thinking. One major difference between the two behaviorists is identified, and the relative merits of the two different positions (...) are evaluated. If Mead is correct, we can begin to build bridges between the cognitive and the more traditional forms of behaviorism. (shrink)