ABSTRACT
The phrase “behavioral engineering” has been around a long time and all of us understand it. The only trouble is, we haven’t told anyone, including ourselves, what it means. It probably is true that everyone would agree that behavioral engineering is “arranging the environment so that one gets the behavior one wants,”* or, more generally, that behavioral engineering is the application of laws of behavior to practical problems. Nevertheless, the topic of what behavioral engineering is could stand some elaboration. This becomes most apparent when one sets out to shape up a behavioral engineer. Then it quickly develops that behavioral engineering is a blend of two technologies: the technology of contingency management and the technology of stimulus control. Needless to say, no special degrees or certificates are required to put the technologies to use. The laws of nature do not care about such matters; they go on working in any case.
