ABSTRACT
This chapter examines that an important role of radical behaviorism in consumer research is the provision of a critical stance, a counterpoint to the prevailing paradigm. The theory-ladenness of observation raises problems for theoretical and scientific progress. The focal point of recent interest in radical behaviorism's potential role in marketing has been the search for novel prescriptions for managerial action, notably the more effective exploitation of promotional stimuli based on operant conditioning principles. The comprehensive models of consumer choice are firmly founded on this duality, taking for granted that cognitive processes determine consumer choice. Some radical behaviorists have argued for a clearer statement of their paradigm. Terms such as discriminative stimulus' and punishment' are both emotive and open to misinterpretation. Advertising and other persuasive/informative messages embody discriminative stimuli which signal the availability of reinforcement contingent upon the operant performance of specified purchase and consumption behaviors.
