Overview

The Englishman: Memoirs of a Psychobiologist by John Staddon is a reflective and often witty autobiography that traces the author' s unconventional journey from wartime London to academic life in the United States. The early chapters recount his childhood adventures, including quirky schooldays and a stint in colonial Africa, all of which shaped his worldview. The memoir then shifts focus to his academic path, detailing his immersion in biology, behavioral psychology, and the influence of thinkers like B.F. Skinner. Staddon explores complex scientific ideas- like animal learning, choice theory, and interval timing- in an accessible, nontechnical style, peppered with personal anecdotes and philosophical musings. It' s part coming-of-age tale, part intellectual exploration, and part love letter to the scientific method.

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Reviews

""... The Englishman is an essential read for anyone invested in the empirical study of behavior or curious about the professional life of a leading psychobiologist. Staddon's measured voice, combined with his deep intellectual curiosity, produces a memoir that is both professionally informative and philosophically stimulating."" --Jessica Fahey, Seattle Book Review ""... The Englishman is a lively, often self-deprecating story about a man's journey from the chaos of wartime London to the quiet order of a university lab, demonstrating that a life well-examined is a life well-read."" --Scott Olsen, San Diego Book Review

Author Information

John Staddon is James B. Duke Professor of Psychology, and Professor of Biology Emeritus, at Duke University. He got his PhD in Experimental Psychology at Harvard University and is the author of more than 200 research papers and books. His published books include Scientific Method: How Science Works, Fails to Work or Pretends to Work (2016), Adaptive Dynamics: The Theoretical Analysis of Behavior (2001), Adaptive Behavior and Learning 2nd Edition (2016), The New Behaviorism: Foundations of Behavioral Science 3rd Edition (2021) and Science in an Age of Unreason (2022). He was profiled in the Wall Street Journal in January 2021 as a commentator on the current problems of science.

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