Publications by Michael L. Commons

Bibliography:

Original Reports in Refereed Journals

  1. Commons, M. L.  (1979).  Decision rules and signal detectability in a reinforcement-density discrimination.  Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 32, 101-120.
  2. Commons, M. L., Miller, P. M., & Kuhn, D.  (1982).  The relation between formal operational reasoning and academic course selection and performance among college freshmen and sophomores.  Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 3, 1-10.
  3. Commons, M. L., Richards, F. A., & Kuhn, D.  (1982).  Systematic and metasystematic reasoning: A case for a level of reasoning beyond Piaget's formal operations.   Child Development, 53, 1058-1069.
  4. Commons, M. L., & Barnett, M. A.  (1984).  Action as a function of stage, bonding, and affiliative experience.  The Genetic Epistemologist, 9(2), 17-23.
  5. Commons, M. L., & Calnek, A. D.  (1984).  On the empirical undecidability between the hypotheses that stage change is or is not a discrete, discontinuous, stepwise process.  The Genetic Epistemologist,9(2), 11-16. 
  6. Galaz-Fontes, J. F., y Commons, M. L. (1989, julio-agosto). Desarrollo moral y educación [Moral development and education]. Travesía, No. 15, 21-26.
  7. Commons, M. L., Rodriguez, J. A.  (1990). "Equal access" without "establishing" religion: The necessity for assessing social perspective-taking skills and institutional atmosphere. Developmental Review, 10, 323-340.
  8. Galaz-Fontes, J. F., Pacheco Sánchez, M. E., y Commons, M. L. (1990, enero-febrero). La experiencia universitaria y el desarrollo moral [The university experience and moral development]. Travesía, Num. 18, 5-8.
  9. Commons, M. L., Bohn, J. T., Godon, L. M., Hauser, M. J. & Gutheil, T. G. (1992). Institutional sexuality I: Empirical investigation of mental health professionals' attitudes. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 571-580.
  10. Commons, M. L., Rodriguez, J. A. (1993). The development of hierarchically complex equivalence classes. Psychological Record, 43, 667-697.
  11. Commons, M. L. (1994). A summary of the general stage model (GSM). Behavioral Development, 4(2), 6-7.
  12. Sonnert, G., & Commons, M. L. (1994). Society and the highest stages of moral development. The Individual and Society, 4(1), 31-55..
  13. Commons, M. L., & Richards, F. A. (1995). Behavior analytic approach to dialectics of stage performance and stage change. Behavioral Development, 5(2), 7-9.
  14. Commons, M. L., Lee, P., Gutheil, T. G., Goldman, M., Rubin, E. & Appelbaum, P. S. (1995). Moral Stage of Reasoning and the Misperceived "Duty" to Report Past Crimes (Misprision). International Journal of Law and Psychiatry., 18(4), 415-424.
  15. Commons ML, Wolfsont CA. Empathy: Its ultimate and proximate bases does not consider developmental changes: A commentary on Stephanie D. Preston and Frans B. M. de Waal target article, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2002; 25(1).
  16. Commons-Miller LAH, Commons ML. Recognizing specialized terminology presented through different modes. The Journal of Psychology, 2003; 137(6), 622-636.
  17. Commons ML. William Perry [Special Issue]. Journal of Adult Development, 2004.
  18. Commons ML, Miller PM, Gutheil TG. A pilot Rasch scaling of forensic experts' perceptions of expert bias. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law: in press.
  19. Commons ML, Miller PM, Gutheil TG. Expert witness perceptions of bias in experts. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 2004; 32(1): 70-75.
  20. Commons ML. The power therapies: a proposed mechanism of their action, with suggestions for future empirical validation. Traumatology-e (2000);6(2): 119-138.
  21. Commons ML. Attaining a new stage [Special Issue]. Journal of Adult Development. 2002.
  22. Commons, ML. Introduction: Attaining a new stage. Journal of Adult Development. 2002; 9(3):155-157.
  23. Commons, ML. The state of the art on Perry and epistemological development? An introduction. The Journal of Adult Development. 2004; 11(2): 59-60.
  24. Commons ML, Richards FA. Organizing components into combinations: How stage transition works. Journal of Adult Development, 2002; 9(2):159-177.
  1. Commons, M. L., Goodheart, E. A., & Bresette, L. M. with Nancy F. Bauer, Edwin W. Farrell, Katherine G. McCarthy, Dorothy L. Danaher, Francis A. Richards, Janet B. Ellis, Anne M. O'Brien, Joseph A. Rodriguez, Dawn Schraeder (1995). Formal, systematic, and metasystematic operations with a balance-beam task series: A reply to Kallio's claim of no distinct systematic stage. Adult Development, 2(3), 193-199.
  2. Commons, M. L., Trudeau, E. J., Stein, S. A., Richards, F. A., Krause, S. R. (in press). The existence of developmental stages as shown by the hierarchical complexity of tasks. Developmental Review.
  3. Commons, M. L., Goodheart, E. A., Rodriguez, J. A., Gutheil, T. G (submitted). Informed Consent: Do you know it when you see it?

Proceedings of Meetings(1)

  1. Commons, M. L., Woodford, M., Boitano, G. A., Ducheny, J. R., & Peck, J. R.  (1982).  Acquisition of preference during shifts between terminal links in concurrent chain schedules.  In M. L. Commons, R. J. Herrnstein,  & A. R. Wagner (Eds.), Quantitative analyses of behavior: Vol.  3. Acquisition (pp. 391-426).  Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
  2. Commons, M. L., Woodford, M., & Ducheny, J. R.  (1982).  The relationship between perceived density of reinforcement in a schedule sample and its reinforcing value.  In M. L. Commons, R. J. Herrnstein, & H. Rachlin  (Eds.), Quantitative analyses of behavior:  Vol. 2. Matching and maximizing accounts (pp. 25-78).  Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
  3. Commons, M. L., & Richards, F. A.  (1984a).  A general model of stage theory.  In M. L. Commons, F. A. Richards, & C. Armon  (Eds.),  Vol. 1. Late adolescent and adult cognitive development (pp. 120-140).  NY: Praeger.
  4. Commons, M. L., & Richards, F. A.  (1984b).  Applying the general stage model.  In M. L. Commons, F. A. Richards, & C.  Armon (Eds.), Beyond formal operations:  Vol. 1. Late adolescent and adult cognitive development (pp. 141-157).  NY: Praeger.
  5. Richards, F. A., Armon, C., & Commons, M. L.  (1984).  Perspectives on the development of thought in late adolescence and adulthood: An introduction.   In M. L. Commons, F. A. Richards, & C. Armon (Eds.), Beyond formal operations: Vol. 1. Late adolescent and adult cognitive development (pp. xiii-xxviii).  NY: Praeger.
  6. Richards, F. A., & Commons, M. L.  (1984).  Systematic, metasystematic, and cross-paradigmatic reasoning: A case for stages of reasoning beyond formal operations.   In M. L. Commons, F. A. Richards, & C. Armon (Eds.), Beyond formal operations: Vol. 1. Late adolescent and adult cognitive development (pp. 92-119).  NY: Praeger.
  7. Commons, M. L., Armon, C., Richards, F. A. Schrader, D. E. with Farrell, E. W., Tappan, M. B., & Bauer, N. F.  (1989).  A multidomain study of adult development. In M. L. Commons, J. D. Sinnott, F. A. Richards, & C. Armon, (Eds.).   Adult development: Vol. 1. Comparisons and applications of adolescent and adult developmental models (pp. 33-56). New York:  Praeger.
  1. Commons, M. L., & Hallinan, P. W. with Fong, W., & McCarthy, K.  (1989) .  Intelligent pattern recognition: Hierarchical organization of concepts and hierarchies. Quantitative analyses of behavior: Vol. 9. Computational and clinical approaches to pattern recognition and concept formation (pp. 127-153). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  2. Commons, M. L., & Grotzer, T. A. (1990). The relationship between Piagetian and Kohlbergian stage: An examination of the "necessary but not sufficient relationship." In M. L. Commons, C. Armon, L. Kohlberg, F. A. Richards, T. A. Grotzer, & J. D. Sinnott (Eds.), Adult development: Vol. 2. Models and methods in the study of adolescent and adult thought (pp. 205-231). New York: Praeger.
  3. Richards, F. A., & Commons, M. L. (1990b). Applying signal detection theory to measure subject sensitivity to metasystematic, systematic and lower developmental stages. In M. L. Commons, C. Armon, L. Kohlberg, F. A. Richards, T. A. Grotzer, and J. D. Sinnott (Eds.), Adult Development:Vol 2. Models and methods in the study of adolescent and adult thought (pp. 175-188). New York: Praeger.
  4. Commons, M. L. (1991). A comparison and synthesis of Kohlberg's cognitive-developmental and Gewirtz's learning-developmental attachment theories. In J. L. Gewirtz & W. M. Kurtines (Eds.),Intersections with attachment (pp. 257-291). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
  5. Commons, M. L., Bing, E. W., Griffy, C. C., & Trudeau, E. J. (1991). Models of acquisition and preference. In M. L. Commons, S. Grossberg, & S. E. G. Staddon (Eds.), Neural network models of conditioning and action: Vol. 13, Quantitative analyses of behavior (pp. 201-223). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  6. Commons, M. L., Woodford, M., & Trudeau, E. J. (1991). How each reinforcer contributes to value: "Noise" must reduce reinforcer value hyperbolically. In M. L. Commons, M. C. Davison, J. A. Nevin (Eds), Signal detection: Vol. 11. Quantitative analyses of behavior (pp. 139-168).  Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  7. Commons, M. L., Krause, S. R., Fayer, G. A., & Meaney, M. (1993). Atmosphere and stage development in the workplace. In J. Demick & P. M. Miller. Development in the workplace (pp.199-220). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  8. LaLlave, J., Commons, M. L. (1995). Comparing psychodynamic, cognitive-developmental and behavior-developmental views of psychological boundaries. In M. L. Commons, J. Demick, C. Goldberg (Eds.), Clinical approaches to adult development. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Reviews and Educationally Relevant Publications

Reviews

  1. Commons, M. L., Richards, F. A., & Armon, C. (1986).  More than a "valuable scorecard." Reply to Keating, D. B., Beyond Piaget: The evolving debate. [Review of Beyond formal operations: Late adolescent and adult cognitive development]. Contemporary Psychology, 30(6), 449-450. Contemporary Psychology, 31(6), 470-471.
  2. Commons, M. L., & Morse, S. J. (1988). How do we know? [Review of Knowing Levels and Developmental Stages, Contemporary Psychology, 33(8) 699-700.
  3. Commons, M. L., & Sonnert, G. (1991). The Assessment Context of Self-Understanding. Reply to Kennedy, B. P., & Fischer, K. W., Understanding self-understanding. [Review of Self-understanding in childhood and adolescence]. Contemporary Psychology, 36 (1), 59. Contemporary Psychology,36(11), 1013.
  4. Commons, M. L. (1995). A review of Merrill I. Lipton's Posttraumatic Stress Disorders: Additional Perspective. Psychotherapy. Journal of Psychotherapy.
  5. Commons ML, White MS. A complete theory of tests for a theory of mind must consider hierarchical complexity and stage: A commentary on Anderson and Lebiere target article, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2003.
  6. Commons ML, Miller PM. A complete theory of human evolution of intelligence must consider stage changes: A commentary on Thomas Wynn's Archeology and Cognitive Evolution. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. http://www.bbsonline.org/Preprints/Anderson/Commentators/.Commons.html. 2002; 25(3): 404-405.

Authored Textbook

  1. Stevens-Long, J., & Commons, M. L. (1991). Adult life: Developmental processes. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Chapters within other books

  1. Fargo, G. A., Behrns, C., Goodman, S. A., & Commons, M. L.  (1971).  Accountability: Utilizing behavior modification.  In G. A. Fargo, C. Behrns, & P. Nolen (Eds.), Behavior modification in the classroom.  Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
  2. Richards, F. A., & Commons, M. L.  (1990a).  Postformal cognitive-developmental research: Some of its historical antecedents and a review of its current status.  In C. N. Alexander, & E. J. Langer.  Higher stages of human development: Perspectives on adult growth, (pp. 139-161). New York:  Oxford University Press.
  3. Commons, M. L., Sonnert, G., Gutheil, T. G., & Bursztajn, H. J. (1991). Ethics and decisions about suicide. In Gutheil, T. G., Bursztajn, H. J., Alexander, V., & Brodsky, A. (Eds.), Decision making in psychiatry and the law (pp. 239-255). Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.
  4. Commons ML, Bresette LM. Major creative innovators as viewed through the lens of the general model of hierarchical complexity and evolution. In Miller ME, Cook-Greuter S, eds. Creativity, Spirituality, and Transcendence: Paths to Integrity and Wisdom in the Mature Self. CT: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 2000:167-187.
  5. Commons ML, Bresette, LM. Illuminating major creative innovators with the model of hierarchical complexity. In C. Hoare (Ed.). Oxford handbook of attachment and learning. New York: Oxford. In press.
  6. Commons ML, Miller PA. A quantitative behavioral model of developmental stage based upon the model of hierarchical complexity. Behavior Analyst Today. 2002
  7. Commons, ML, Miller, PM. Natural Child Birth. In N. Salking (Ed.). Child development: Vol. 1: Macmillan psychology reference series. Farmington Hills, MI: Macmillan. 2002: 283.
  8. Commons ML, Miller, PM. Development of behavioral stages in animals. In Bekoff M, ed. Encyclopedia of animal behavior. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. 2004. [pp. ]
  9. Commons ML, Miller PM. Positive adult development (1978- ). In Whisenhunt DW ed. Encyclopedia of education in America (EDUSA): in press.
  10. Commons ML, Richards FA. Four postformal stages. In: Demick J, ed. Handbook of Adult Development. NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum. 2002: 199-219.

  1. Hauser, M. J., Commons, M. L., Bursztajn, H. L., & Gutheil, T. G. (1991). Fear of malpractice liability and its role in clinical decision making. In Gutheil, T. G., Bursztajn, H. J., Alexander, V.,& Brodsky, A. (Eds.), Decision making in psychiatry and the law (pp. 209-226). Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.
  2. Warren, M., Commons, M. L., Gutheil, T. G., Swaggerty, E. L., Bursztajn, H. J., Brodsky, A., & Alexander, V. (1991). Suicide, magical thinking and liability. In Gutheil, T. G., Bursztajn, H. J., Alexander, V., & Brodsky, A. (Eds.), Decision making in psychiatry and the law (pp. 189-208). Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.
  3. Commons, M. L., & Goodheart, E. A. (In press). The philosophical origins of behavior analysis. In B.A. Thyer (Ed.). The philosophical foundations of behaviorism. Kluwer.

Edited Books and Journal Issues

  1. Commons, M. L., & Nevin, J. A.  (Eds.).  (1981).   Quantitative analyses of behavior: Vol. 1. Discriminative properties of reinforcement schedules. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.

  1. Commons, M. L., Herrnstein, R. J., & Wagner, A. R.  (Eds.). (1982). Quantitative analyses of behavior: Vol. 3. Acquisition.  Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
  2. Commons, M. L., Herrnstein, R. J., & Rachlin, H.  (Eds.).  (1982). Quantitative analyses of behavior: Vol. 2. Matching and maximizing accounts.   Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.

  1. Commons, M. L., Herrnstein, R. J., & Wagner, A. R. (Eds.).  (1983). Quantitative analyses of behavior: Vol. 4. Discrimination processes.  Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
  2. Commons, M. L., Richards, F. A., & Armon, C.  (Eds.). (1984). Beyond formal operations: Vol. 1. Late adolescent and adult cognitive development.  NY: Praeger.
  3. Commons, M. L., Kacelnik, A., & Shettleworth, S.  (1987).  Quantitative analyses of behavior: Vol. 6. Foraging.  Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  4. Commons, M. L., Mazur, J. E., Nevin, J. A., & Rachlin, H.  (Eds.). (1987). Quantitative analyses of behavior: Vol. 5. Effect of delay and intervening events on value.  Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  5. Commons, M. L., Church, R. M., Stellar, J. R., & Wagner, A. R.  (Eds.).  (1988).  Quantitative analyses of behavior: Vol. 7. Biological determinants of reinforcement.  Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  6. Commons, M. L., Herrnstein, R. J., Kosslyn, S. M., Mumford, D. B. (Eds.). (1989a).  Quantitative analyses of behavior: Vol. 8. Behavioral approaches to pattern recognition and concept formation. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  7. Commons, M. L., Herrnstein, R. J., Kosslyn, S. M., Mumford, D. B. (Eds.).  (1989b).  Quantitative analyses of behavior:  Vol. 9. Computational and clinical approaches to pattern recognition and concept formation. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  8. Commons, M.  L., Sinnott, J. D., Richards, F. A., & Armon, C. (Eds.).   (1989).   Adult development: Vol. 1. Comparisons and applications of adolescent and adult developmental models.  New York: Praeger.
  9. Commons, M. L., Armon, C., Kohlberg, L., Richards, F. A., Grotzer, T. A.,  & Sinnott, J. D. (Eds.). (1990).  Adult development: Vol. 2. models and methods in the study of adolescent and adult thought. New York: Praeger.
  10. Commons, M. L., Davison, M. C., & Nevin, J. A. (Eds). (1991). Signal detection: Vol. 10. Quantitative Analyses of Behavior. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  11. Commons, M. L., Grossberg, S., & Staddon, J. E. R. (Eds.). (1991). Neural network models of conditioning and action: Vol. 11. Quantitative analyses of behavior. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  12. Cerella, J., Hoyer, W., Rybash, J., & Commons, M. L., (Eds.). (1993). Adult information processing: Limits on loss. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

  1. Commons, M. L., Branch, M. N., & Fantino, E. (Eds.). (1993). The nature of reinforcement: Quantitative analyses of behavior [Special Issue]. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
  2. Commons, M. L., Demick, J., Goldberg, C. (In press). Clinical approaches to adult development. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Popular Publications

  1. Commons, M. L. (1994). The psychology of orienteering, Part 1: Why is it so damn much fun. New England Orienteering Times.

  1. Commons, M. L. (1995). The psychology of orienteering, Part 2: The evolutionary bases. New England Orienteering Times.

This is a partial list of courses I have taught:

Preventing Malpractice (CME discussion leader)

Malpractice Prevention in the 1990s: Trends and Update (CME presenter and discussion leader)

The Clinician in Court: A Survival Guide (CME discussion group leader)

Ethical issues and patient sexuality (CME presenter)

Infant Development (graduate)

Child Psychology (undergraduate)

Advanced Child (graduate)

Adolescent (graduate)

Positive Adult Development (undergraduate and graduate)

Adult Development and Aging (undergraduate and graduate)

Introductory Psychology (undergraduate)

General Psychology (undergraduate)

Statistics and Experimentation (undergraduate)

Research Methods (undergraduate and graduate)

Research Methods in Education (graduate)

Community Psychology

Environmental Psychology

Personality, Personality Theory (undergraduate)

Psychopathology (undergraduate)

Abnormal (undergraduate)

Information Processing (undergraduate)

Perception (undergraduate)

Learning (undergraduate)

Advanced Learning Processes (graduate)

History and Systems (undergraduate and graduate)

References:

Jacob Gewirtz, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
Florida International University
1-305-348-3375
University Park Campus
1-305-348-2880
Miami, FL 33199

Touch Research Institute
1-305-547-6781
PO Box 016820

Department of Pediatrics
University of Miami Medical School
Miami, FL 33101

Thomas G. Gutheil, M.D.
1-617-734-1300
Department of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School
Massachusetts Mental Health Center
74 Fenwood Road
Boston, MA 02115-6196

Lawrence E. Lifson, M.D.
1-617-734-1300
Department of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School
Massachusetts Mental Health Center
74 Fenwood Road
Boston, MA 02115-6196

Leonard S. Miller, Ph.D.
1-510-642-0556
School of Social Welfare
1-510-643-6126 fax
Havilland Hall, RM 120
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720

1. All these chapters in both the Quantitative Analyses of Behavior Annuals and Adult Development Annuals were refereed by at least two reviewers. A good percentage of submissions were rejected. There were no journals in positive adult development. Most of such work was published in the book series. I founded the Journal of Adult Development.

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