Witching it Weren’t So: Viewing the Salem Witch Trials through a Behavioral Cultural Lens

Dr. Darlene E. Crone-Todd
Professor Emeritus in Psychology
Salem State University

The Salem Witch Trials as a historical fact, are an example of intolerance and injustice between and amongst individuals and groups within a culture. Intolerance and injustice are labels used to describe behavior on the part of both individuals and groups, and it is important today to understand the forms and functions of these types of behavior. In this talk, there will be historical and personal contexts provided, and a conceptual model presented as a way to understand both the forms and functions of individual and group behavior involved in the Salem Witch Trials. The conceptual model will extend the application of contingencies and interlocking behavioral contingencies to include both operant and respondent behavior in a social emotional context.