John Anthony Nevin is Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire

The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...

. He was born July 5, 1933, in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. In 1954, he obtained a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

, in 1961 an M.A. at Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

, then in 1963 a Ph.D. in Psychology. William N. Schoenfeld

William N. Schoenfeld

William N. Schoenfeld was an American psychologist and author.Born in New York City, he conducted original research in experimental psychology, and advocated behaviorism, which seeks to understand behavior as a function of environmental histories of experiencing consequences. Dr...

 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

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....

. In 1968, he joined the Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

 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

University of New Hampshire

The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...

, 1991; Basic Research Award, Division 25, American Psychological Association

American Psychological Association

The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...

, 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

Society for Quantitative Analysis of Behavior

The Society for Quantitative Analysis of Behavior was founded in 1978 by Michael Lamport Commons and John Anthony Nevin. The first president was Richard J. Herrnstein. In the beginning it was called the Harvard Symposium on Quantitative Analysis of Behavior...

. He has founded two of the major subfields in quantitative analysis of behavior

Quantitative Analysis of Behavior

Quantitative analysis of behavior is the quantitative form of the experimental analysis of behavior. This has become the dominant scientific approach to behavior analysis. It represents behavioral research using quantitative models of behavior. The parameters in the models hopefully have...

. These include the application of signal detection to understanding reinforcement

Reinforcement

Reinforcement is a term in operant conditioning and behavior analysis for the process of increasing the rate or probability of a behavior in the form of a "response" by the delivery or emergence of a stimulus Reinforcement is a term in operant conditioning and behavior analysis for the process of...

 schedules. The second the field of behavioral momentum

Behavioral momentum

Behavioral momentum is a theory in quantitative analysis of behavior and is a comparative metaphor based on physical momentum. It describes the general relation between resistance to change and the rate of reinforcement obtained in a given situation.B.F...

 and persistence of behavior. His work is therefore extremely influential.

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

Mathematical principles of reinforcement

Mathematical principles of reinforcement are a set of mathematical equations that attempt to describe and predict the most fundamental aspects of behavior. The three key principles of MPR, arousal, constraint, and coupling, describe how incentives motivate responding, how time constrains it, and...

.

Behavioral momentum references

• 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 References

• 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.