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Peter Harzem (January 5, 1930 – May 26, 2008) was a Turkish-American psychologist who specialised in the field of behavior analysis.

Life

Peter Harzem was born in Istanbul, Turkey, on January 5, 1930. His parents were Sukru and Saime Harzem. He initially worked as a newspaper reporter.

After the war he moved to London to complete his education. He was awarded a BSc Psychology from the University of London. He was strongly influenced by Harry Hurwitz who had established an operant laboratory at Birkbeck College. Harzem conducted a student project in this laboratory.

He then moved to the University College of North Wales which later became Bangor University where he completed his PhD and obtained a faculty position.

He moved to the United States in 1978 where he became Hudson Professor of Psychology at Auburn University, Alabama.

He died on May 26, 2008.

Work

Harzem established a reputation for his work on behaviour analysis. At Bangor University, he published an influential volume (Harzem & Miles, 1978). He was also concerned with the role of language. In his later years he became interested in what he termed the discrediting of John B. Watson (Harzem, 1993; 2001). Following on from Hurwitz, Harzen had a continuing interest in the nature of science (Harzem, 2007).

Positions

• Associate editor, Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Publications

• Harzem P. (2007). A brief history of knowledge: Science and non-science in the understanding of human nature. In: Ribes-Inesta E, Burgos J.E, editors. Knowledge, cognition, and behavior: Proceedings of the ninth Biannual Symposium on the Science of Behavior. Guadalajara, Mexico: Universidad de Guadalajara. pp. 11–30.
• Harzen, P.E. (2004). Behaviorism for new psychology: What was wrong with behaviorism and what is wrong with it now. Behavior and Philosophy, 32, 5–12.
• Harzen, P.E. (2001). The Intellectual Dismissal of John B. Watson: Notes on a Dark Cloud in the History of the Psychological Sciences. Behavioral Development Bulletin, 10(1), 15–16.
• Harzem, P. (1993). The discrediting of John Broadus Watson. Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis, 19, 39–66.
• Zeiler M.D, Harzem P. (Eds.) (1983). Biological factors in learning. New York: Wiley.
• Harzem, P.E. (Ed.)(1981). Predictability, Correlation, and Contiguity New York: Wiley
• Zeiler M.D, Harzem P. (Eds.) (1979). Reinforcement and the organization of behavior. New York: Wiley.
• Harzem, P.E., & Miles, T.R. (1978) Conceptual Issues In Operant Psychology. Chichester: Wiley.

References

1. Ribes-Inesta, Emilio (2008). "Peter Harzem (1930-2008)". The Psychological Record. 58: 491–494. doi:10.1007/BF03395633. S2CID 140784377.
2. Buskist, William (2009). "Remembering peter harzem: teacher-scholar extraordinaire". Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. 91 (3): 287–291. doi:10.1901/JEAB.2009.91-287. PMC 2677561. PMID 19949487.
3. Ribes-Iñesta, Emilio (2008). "Peter Harzem (1930–2008): A reverence for language". Behavior and Philosophy. 36: 1–4.
4. Buskist, William (2000). "Teaching Behavior Analysis and Psychology in Social Context: An Interview with Peter Harzem". Teaching of Psychology. 27 (2): 149–154. doi:10.1207/S15328023TOP2702_13. S2CID 144997845.
5. Buskist, William (2009). "Remembering Peter Harzem: teacher-scholar extraordinaire". Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. 91 (3): 287–291. doi:10.1901/JEAB.2009.91-287. PMC 2677561. PMID 19949487.

• 1930 births
• 2008 deaths
• Health professionals from Istanbul
• Turkish psychologists
• Turkish emigrants to the United States
• 20th-century American psychologists
• Behaviourist psychologists
• Alumni of Bangor University
• Auburn University faculty