John Anthony Nevin

John Anthony Nevin is Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of New Hampshire. He was born July 5, 1933, in New York City. In 1954, he obtained a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University, in 1961 an M.A. at Columbia University, then in 1963 a Ph.D. in Psychology. William N. Schoenfeld was his dissertation advisor. From 1954-1959, he served in the US Coast Guard. From 1963 to 1968, he was Assistant Professor of Psychology at Swarthmore College. In 1968, he joined the Columbia University Psychology department as an Associate Professor, becoming a professor in 1969. From 1972 to 1995, he was Professor of Psychology, University of New Hampshire. He has received many honors including Distinguished University Professor, University of New Hampshire, 1991; Basic Research Award, Division 25, American Psychological Association, 1999; Award for Impact of Science on Application, Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis, 2004; Don Hake Basic/Applied research Award, Division 25, American Psychological Association, 2004.

He is cofounder of the Society for Quantitative Analysis of Behavior. He has founded two of the major subfields in quantitative analysis of behavior. These include the application of signal detection to understanding reinforcement schedules. The second the field of behavioral momentum and persistence of behavior. His work is therefore extremely influential.

He has contributed to the field of MPR, the Mathematical principles of reinforcement.

Bibliography

Behavioral momentum

• Nevin, J. A. (1974). Response strength in multiple schedules. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 21, 389-408.
• Nevin, J. A., Olson, K., Mandell, C., & Yarensky, P. (1975). Differential reinforcement and signal detection. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 24, 355-367.
• Nevin, J. A., Mandell, C., & Yarensky, P. (1981). Response rate and resistance to change in chained schedules. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 7, 278-294.
• Nevin, J. A., Mandell, C., & Atak, J. R. (1983). The analysis of behavioral momentum. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 39, 49-59.
• Mace, F. C., Lalli, J. S., Shea, M. C., Lalli, E. P., West, B. J., & Nevin, J. A. (1990). The momentum of human behavior in a natural setting. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 54, 163-172.
• Nevin, J. A., Tota, M., Torquato, R., & Shull, R. L. (1990). Alternative reinforcement increases resistance to change: Operant or Pavlovian processes? Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 53, 359-379.
• Mace, F. C., Lalli, J. S., Shea, M. C., & Nevin, J. A. (1992). Behavioral momentum in college basketball. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25, 657-663.
• Nevin, J. A. (1992). Behavioral contrast and behavioral momentum. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 18, 126-133.
• Nevin, J. A. (1992). An integrative model for the study of behavioral momentum. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 57, 301-316.
• Nevin, J. A. (1993). Behavioural momentum: Implications for clinical practice. Behaviour Change, 10, 162-168.
• Nevin, J. A. (1995). Reinforcement contingencies and behavioral momentum: Research and applications. Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis, 21, 107-122.
• McLean, A. P., Campbell-Tie, P., & Nevin, J. A. (1996). Resistance to change as a function of stimulus-reinforcer and location-reinforcer contingencies. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 66, 169-191.
• Nevin, J. A. (1996). The momentum of compliance. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 29, 535-547.
• Grace, R. C., & Nevin, J. A. (1997). On the relation between preference and resistance to change. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 67, 43-65.
• Nevin, J. A. (1997). Choice and momentum. In W. O'Donohue (Ed.) Learning and behavior therapy. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Grace, R. C., Schwendiman, J. I., & Nevin, J. A. (1998). Effects of unsignaled delay of reinforcement on preference and resistance to change. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 69, 247-261.
• Nevin, J. A., & Grace, R. C. (1999). Does the context of reinforcement affect resistance to change? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 25, 256-268.
• Grace, R. C., & Nevin, J. A. (2000). Comparing preference and resistance to change in constant- and variable-duration schedule components. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 74, 165-188.
• Nevin, J. A., & Grace, R. C. (2000). Behavioral momentum and the Law of Effect. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23, 73-130.
• Nevin, J. A., & Grace, R. C. (2000). Preference and resistance to change with constant-duration schedule components. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 74, 79-100.
• Nevin, J. A., Grace, R. C., Holland, S., & McLean, A. P. (2001). Variable-ratio versus variable-interval schedules: Response rate, resistance to change and preference. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 76, 43-74.
• Nevin, J. A., McLean, A. P., & Grace, R. C. (2001). Resistance to extinction: Contingency termination and generalization decrement. Animal Learning & Behavior, 29, 176-191.
• Grace, R. C., Bedell, M. A., & Nevin, J. A. (2002). Preference and resistance to change with constant- and variable-duration terminal links: Independence of reinforcement rate and magnitude. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 77, 233-255.
• Nevin, J. A. (2002). Measuring behavioral momentum. Behavioural Processes, 57, 187-198.
• Grace, R. C., McLean, A. P., & Nevin, J. A. (2003). Reinforcement context and resistance to change. Behavioural Processes, 64, 91-101.
• Nevin, J. A. (2003). Mathematical principles of reinforcement and resistance to change. Behavioural Processes, 62, 65-73.
• Nevin, J. A., Milo, J., Odum, A. P., & Shahan, T. A. (2003). Accuracy of discrimination, rate of responding, and resistance to change. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 79, 307-321.
• Nevin, J. A. (2005). The inertia of affluence. Behavior and Social Issues, 14, 7-20.
• Nevin, J. A., & Grace, R. C. (2005). Resistance to extinction in the steady state and in transition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 31, 199-212.
• Odum, A. L., Shahan, T. A., & Nevin, J. A. (2005). Resistance to change of forgetting functions and response rates. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 84, 65-75.
• Nevin, J. A., Grace, R. C., & McLean, A. P. (accepted pending revision). A unified account of response rate and resistance to change in single and multiple schedules. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Signal detection and schedules as stimuli

• Wright, A. A., & Nevin, J. A. (1974). Signal detection methods for the measurement of utility in animals. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 21, 373-380.
• Nevin, J. A. (1979). Reinforcement schedules and response strength. In M. D. Zeiler & P. Harzem (Eds.), Reinforcement and the organization of behavior. Chichester, England: Wiley.
• Commons, M. L., & Nevin, J. A. (Eds.). (1981). Quantitative analyses of behavior: Vol. 1. Discriminative properties of reinforcement schedules. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
• Nevin, J. A. (1981). Psychophysics and reinforcement schedules: An integration. In M. L. Commons & J. A. Nevin (Eds.) Quantitative analyses of behavior: Vol. 1. Discriminative properties of reinforcement schedules. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
• Nevin, J. A., Jenkins, P., Whittaker, S., & Yarensky, P. (1982). Reinforcement contingencies and signal detection. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 37, 65-79.
• Nevin, J. A., & MacWilliams, S. (1983). Ratio reinforcement of signal detection. Behaviour Analysis Letters, 3, 317-324.
• Nevin, J. A. (1984). Quantitative analysis. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 42, 421-434.
• Nevin, J. A. (1984). Pavlovian determiners of behavioral momentum. Animal Learning and Behavior, 12, 363-370.
• Nevin, J. A. (1991). Signal detection analysis of illusions and heuristics. In M. L. Commons, M. Davison, & J. A. Nevin (Eds.) Quantitative analyses of behavior. Vol. 11: Signal detection. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.