Jack Michael, professor emeritus of the Psychology Department at Western Michigan University, obtained his Ph.D. in 1955 at UCLA. During his first teaching position at Kansas University he was much influenced by reading B. F. Skinner's Science and Human Behavior. At the University of Houston his colleague, Lee Meyerson, developed his interest in applications in the areas of developmental and physical disabilities, and in mental illness. His interest in college teaching technology resulted from his association with Fred Keller at Arizona State University. He was at WMU for over thirty-five years, where he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in behavior analysis.

Michael has received awards for Distinguished Service to Behavior Analysis (Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis), Distinguished Teaching and Distinguished Faculty Scholar (Western Michigan University), Distinguished Teaching (American Psychological Foundation), and the Don Hake Award (Division 25 of the American Psychological Association).

Concepts and principles of behavior analysis are derived from basic human and non-human research. Empirical and theoretical issues related to habituation, respondent conditioning, operant conditioning, and the control of operant behavior by motivational and emotional variables.