Laws of Human Behavior

How scientific studies of human behavior can be replicated with the consistency and rigor characteristic of the physical sciences, yielding scientific “laws.”

In Laws of Human Behavior, Donald Pfaff and Sandra Sherman argue that many behavioral and neural discoveries—verified over the years through precise, reliable measurement—are tantamount to “laws,” comparable in rigor and replicability to physical laws such as gravity and the second law of thermodynamics. Drawing on research in areas including psychophysics, various types of conditioning and habit formation, and even social behaviors, they show how important aspects of the behavioral sciences contribute to laws that should be celebrated now. Responding to what some commentators have called a crisis in reliability, the authors make a compelling case for the progress that experimental work in areas, formerly labeled as “soft” science, has achieved.

The book is international in scope. References range from the early nineteenth-century work of Weber to papers published in 2023. In particular, the authors cite important accomplishments in the behavioral and neural sciences of the past few decades that support the characterization of these sciences as “exact.” Each chapter of the book has three parts: examples of the law’s manifestations in everyday life, examples of the laboratory science that supports the law, and neurobiological results that further support the validity of the law. The book also offers clues for understanding where the field of behavioral science is headed.  The authors intend for the book to be accessible to interested nonscientists.Dedication Acknowledgments Introduction
Part I: Sensation, Perception
1. Psychophysics
2. Stimulus Generalization
3. Signal Detection is a Function of Stimulus and Criterion for Positive Responses
4. Perception is Selective
Part II: Movement
5. Motor Responsiveness
6. Principle of Least Effort
7. Habituation
Part III: Conditioning
8. Pavlovian (“Classical”) Conditioning
9. Operant (Instrumental) Conditioning
10. Delay of Reinforcement Gradient
Part IV: Cognition
11. Information Load Determines Retention of that Information
12. We Forget
13. Slow Deliberative Decision Making Uses Different Cortical Mechanisms Compared to Fast Perceptual Decision Making
14. We Reduce Cognitive Dissonance
Part V: Changes of State
15. Hormones Change Behavioral States
16. Human Behavior is Regulated by a Circadian Rhythm 17. Optimum Level of Arousal (Yerkes-Dodson Law)
Part VI: Social Behaviors
18. Humans Seek Social Contact
19. In Groups, Humans Form Hierarchies
20. Humans Behave Altruistically
Conclusion and Perspective
Further Reading“Pfaff and Sherman’s Laws of Human Behavior is a must-read for those interested in the biological foundation of human perception, experience, and performance. This is a deep and thoughtful presentation that provides a solid and enduring basis for science to continue to build critical knowledge to advance both medicine and human understanding.”
—Nicholas D. Schiff, Jerod B. Katz Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Medical College
 
“We should welcome this readable and instructive reminder that much of everyday behavior obeys predictable laws, with corresponding signatures in the brain—thus helping to redress the 'reproducibility crisis' in psychology and cognitive neuroscience.”
—Trevor W. Robbins, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Cambridge
 
“Laws is a beautifully written, engaging, and important book, coauthored by one of the leading figures in behavioral neuroscience. It illuminates the key scientific discoveries that have shaped our modern view of human behavior.”
—Jon Horvitz, Professor of Psychology, City University of New York; coauthor of Principles of Behavioral Neuroscience
 
“This is an excellent book that begins with the introduction on the mechanism by which the brain changes behavior, showing basic knowledge about the influence of the brain on decision-making processes and motivation, and examines the principles of human behavior from the perspective of social relationships such as bond formation and altruistic behavior.”
—Yasuo Sakuma, former Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of Physiological Sciences
 
“For consumers of social science, Laws of Human Behavior must be read and referenced. Many argue that findings in the field are not replicable; the authors focus on topics where rigorous investigation insures lasting contributions. Each chapter connects behavior to neural mechanisms.  For researchers, teachers, and students, this is a must-read to answer criticisms and find lasting new discoveries.”
—Michael I. Posner, Professor Emeritus, University of Oregon; coauthor of Images of Mind and Educating the Human Brain                                                                      
 
“Renowned neuroscientist Donald Pfaff (along with coauthor Sandra Sherman) provides a tour of these consistencies, starting with sensory psychophysics and expanding outward, culminating in a (truly masterful) account of the neuroscience of human sociality. This is a deeply insightful picture of the building blocks of our shared humanity.”
—Robert M. Sapolsky, John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor, Stanford University; author of Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and WorstDonald Pfaff is Professor Emeritus of Neurobiology and Behavior at Rockefeller University. His books include Hormonal Factors in Brain Function (MIT Press), Drive (MIT Press), and The Altruistic Brain.

Sandra Sherman is a former Senior Attorney for the US government and a retired Professor of English. She is a coauthor of several books in neuroscience.