The Writings of Susan Friedman, Ph.D.

Susan G. Friedman, Ph.D., is currently a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Utah State University.  A Behaviorist for more than 25 years, her area of expertise is learning and behavior with a special emphasis on children’s behavior disorders.  In the last several years, Susan has helped pioneer efforts to apply to animals the humane philosophy and scientifically sound teaching technology from the field of Applied Behavior Analysis, which has been so effective with human learners.  The guiding principle of this approach is a hierarchy of teaching interventions starting with the most positive, least intrusive, effective behavior solutions.

Susan is a steadfast proponent of changing behavior through facilitation rather than force. These tools of facilitation focus on animals’ extraordinary biologic capacity to learn by interacting with their environment. By changing the environment for success, animals learn to behave successfully.  These principles and methods comprise her course, Living and Learning with Parrots: The Fundamental Principles of Behavior, which she teaches several times a year in workshops and on the internet.  Click here to register for our “Inside the Bird Brain” workshop in Denver featuring Dr. Friedman.

Susan is the first author on two recently completed chapters on learning and behavior for two new avian veterinary texts (in press), and enjoys contributing to and learning from several internet lists on parrot behavior.  She is a core member of the California Condor Recovery Team and takes every opportunity to work with companion animal caregivers, veterinarians, animal trainers and zookeepers to empower and enrich the lives of all learners. 

The ABC's of Behavior

Parrots in Temporary Shelters

The Art of Science - Training Animals

The Struggle for Dominance

Alternatives to Parrot Breaking

Early Socialization

The Nature of Greys

The Facts about Punishment

He Said, She Said, Science Said

Straight Talk about Behavior

Positive reinforcement is a family affair. The two articles below were authored by Susan’s young daughters and offer some unique insights about a caregiver’s responsibilities to her parrots. Enjoy!

My Year of Living Dangerously

And then She was Gone

Did all this information whet your appetite for more?  Then visit Susan Friedman's recommended reading list here.