B. F. Skinner is best known for his work in Behaviorism, a theory that explores the relationship between environment and behavior. He was one of the most influential psychologists of all time with over 100 published articles and books on psychology, as well as multiple inventions to help understand human behavior.
Who Is B. F. Skinner?
B.F. Skinner was a psychologist and inventor who is best known for his work on behaviorism in the early 20th century, which he considered to be a branch of psychology that studies observable responses from animals in laboratory settings. He also became well-known for his invention of the operant conditioning chamber (Skinner Box). His ideas are still studied today by psychologists and scientists interested in how organisms learn new behaviors without being explicitly taught them.
What are His theories about?
B. F. Skinner is one of the most influential psychologists in history, well known for his theories on operant conditioning and behaviorism; he was also a prolific author and inventor who contributed to fields outside of psychology as well. While he had many successes throughout his life, including inventing the first operant chamber and developing a new way to teach language called “Verbal Behavior,” some of his ideas proved controversial, such as when he proposed that humans are controlled by their environment like rats in a cage or pigeons pecking at food pellets-a theory that became known as “Skinnerian behaviorism.”
B. F. Skinner Biography and Life
B. F. Skinner was one of the world’s most influential psychologists and behavioral scientists, shaping much of how we think about human behavior today. His research in operant conditioning has inspired such varied fields as animal training, psychology, business management, and education systems worldwide.
B.F., or Burrhus Frederic Skinner, was born March 20th 1904 and died August 18th 1990. B. F. Skinner is one of the most influential psychologists in modern history, and his contributions to the field have had a lasting impact on psychology as an academic discipline and profession.
His methodology for experimental analysis was lauded by many as being scientific and objective, which contrasted with Freudian psychoanalysis that relied heavily on interpretation rather than data-based evidence. He also contributed to behaviorist theory by introducing operant conditioning into our everyday lexicon through his research using rats in a box experiment at Harvard University in 1937.
B. F. Skinner was a behavioral psychologist and greatly expanded the work of Ivan Pavlov and John Watson in behaviorism, an approach to psychology based on the premise that all behaviors (and mental processes including thoughts and feelings) are caused by external stimuli rather than internal forces such as drives or desires.
Books by B. F. Skinner
Books written/contributed by B. F. Skinner (1);
- The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis. New York: Appleton-Century, 1938
- Walden Two. New York: Macmillan, 1948
- Science and Human Behavior. New York: Macmillan, 1953
- Schedules of Reinforcement. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1957
- Verbal Behavior. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1957
- Cumulative Record. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1959
- The Analysis of Behavior: A Program for Self-Instruction. New York: McGraw Hill, 1961
- The Technology of Teaching. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1968
- Contingencies of Reinforcement: A Theoretical Analysis. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1969
- Beyond Freedom and Dignity. New York: Knopf, 1971.
- About Behaviorism. New York: Knopf, 1974.
- Particulars of My Life. New York: Knopf, 1976.
- Reflections on Behaviorism and Society. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1978.
- The Shaping of a Behaviorist: Part Two of an Autobiography. New York: Knopf, 1979.
- Notebooks. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1980
- Skinner for the Classroom. Champaign, IL: Research Press, 1982
- Enjoy Old Age: A Program of Self Management. New York: W. W. Norton, 1983n)
- A Matter of Consequences: Part Three of an Autobiography. New York: Knopf, 1983
- Upon Further Reflection. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1987
- Recent Issues in the Analysis of Behavior. Columbus, OH: Merrill, 1989
Last Updated on March 12, 2022 by Lucas Berg
