Standing on the Shoulders of a Giant: Remembrances of Jack Michael, Part 1.

Abstract

In 1959, Jack Michael and his PhD student Ted Ayllon published "The Psychiatric Nurse as a Behavioral Engineer" (Ayllon & Michael, 1959). That study was Ayllon's doctoral dissertation and was the first empirical demonstration of how the principles of behavior (e.g., reinforcement, extinction, satiation) could be applied to solve clinical problems. That research was the beginning of what would soon be called "behavior modification," and later, "applied behavior analysis." Jack's foundational contributions to behavior analysis continued for 5 decades. In recognition of his life's work, his former students and close associates John Mabry, Grayson Osborne, Jon Bailey, Mark Sundberg, and J. Vincent Carbone offer tributes to Jack. These tributes tell the story of Jack's early teaching career, his students, his work, and how he inspired others to become behavior analysts. Six more tributes will appear in the fall issue of The Analysis of Verbal Behavior and will provide insight into Jack's work and other activities in the later part of his career. Those tributes will be from Jack's former students and close associates Hank Schlinger, Dave Palmer, Carl Sundberg, John and Barb Esch, Anna Petursdottir, and Caio Miguel.