Well without quoting anyone per say -- who was against this idea ---
I believe a PCT Dictionary would be very helpful. I have been away form these
talk about IVs & DV's, Behavior, control and output for 3 yrs but I can tell
you they are roughly the same arguments that were going on then.
For lack of a better thought of where I should start.
What Behavior Is, and How You Can Predict and Control It?
A background on Psychology and Behavior:
James Chaplin (1985) defines psychology as "the science of human and animal
behavior; the study of the organism in all its variety and complexity as it
responds to the flux and flow of the physical and social events that make up
the environment" (p. 367). Chaplin's definition seems to be in line with the
teachings most students receive in any psychology class. However, "responds to"
can be defined two ways: (1) As a response to the controlling environment, as
the linear cause and effect model of traditional psychology states (S-O-R, or
I-process-O) or (2) as a means to control ones perceptions of the environment.
The latter is the definition proposed by perceptual control theorists, because
it is the only one that separates us from the inanimate world.
The Science of Behavior? The word behavior, is what has keep psychology from
becoming what many call a "Hard Science." To be a hard science you must to
have a clear idea of what you want to study, and you must be able to measure
it. That sounds easier than it is.
In 2400 years the study of "behavior" has no Universal definition of
behavior that is accepted and used by all. Secondly, if the word behavior can
not be defined, it surly can not be accurately measured. This is why
psychology has been such a poor predictor in human behavior. The only time
psychology can predict behavior in when it employs coercion.
Positive/negative reinforcement and punishment are all coercive ways of
controlling behavior.
Two sides to every coin ..
Behavior can be one of two things, depending on your viewpoint;
1) What the person is doing, or
2) What the person is TRYING to do.
There are two sides to this coin of behavior, the person's actions and the
person's goal. To make a science out of either you must have some type of
Cause and Effect Model, to explain and predict your point of view.
On the first side of the coin you have, what the person is doing - the Actions.
Using the laws of the Natural Sciences, cause always comes before effect.
Like Newton states "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction." In short
this is the basic casual model Psychology has used for 2400 years. As you
know, Linear Cause and effect, works like this;
X1 + X 2 + X 3 + X 4 . + X n = Y
The X's are the antecedents to the behavior and the Y is the resulting
behavior.
On the flip side of the coin you have, what the person is intending to do - the
Goal. There is different type of Cause and Effect Model to be used here -
Circular Cause and Effect. This type is radically different. In this model
cause and effect happen simultaneously. This casual loop best describes how a
perception (a variable) is controlled
Rick Marken
My own preferred definition of behavior (at least, the behavior of >>living
systems) is "Behavior is control". Of course, then you have >>to define
"control" (the process of bringing variables to intended >>states and keeping
them in those states, protected from >>disturbance).
But once you've done that and explained how control works >>(control theory)
then you can use the best definition of behavior: >>the control of
perception:-)
Here are some canons of Control off the top of my head I am sure their are more
and I sure some one will be happy to remind me 
1) People control their perceptions NOT their actions. Input is what is
controlled never output.
2) When a perception is controlled a person's actions (observed behavior) will
be opposite to the sum of everything that interferes with the controlled
perception.
3) There is never a strong correlation between observed behavior and a goal.
Many different actions can achieve the same goal and often the same actions
produces different results depending on what varies in the environment (e.g.,
the disturbances to the controlled perception).
4) Observed behavior can be predicted by knowing what perception is being
controlled. The observed behavior will always be highly negatively correlated
with the disturbances to the perception(The TEST.
5) A living control system is organized hierarchically, with the output of
higher-level systems setting the reference signals of lower-level systems.
A PCT Dictionary would be great if it also offered rebuttals to common
misperceptions.
M. Lazare
DTSDTO@AOL.com