B.F Skinner

• Skinner was born on March 20, 1904, in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania.
• First child of William Skinner and Grace Mange Burrhus Skinner.
• Took and graduated Bachelor’s Degree in English
• At the end of the dark year (18 months), he read about the works of Watson and Pavlov, and wanted to become a behaviorist
• He is a determinist and an environmentalist.
• In 1936, despite no solid background in Psychology besides his graduate studies, he started teaching psychology at University of Minnesota.
• Published his own book in 1938, The Behavior of Organisms.
• Had the Project Pigeon but it ended with frustration, as he failed to realize it.
• In 1945, left Minnesota for the position of Chair of Psychology Department of Indiana University
• He also published Walden Two on 1945, something hat helped him
• He received many prestigious awards, during his life time, and among these awards is the Citation for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology, awarded by the APA. He was the only one to receive this during that time
• Died on August 18, 1990, due to Leukemia
• Edward was his younger sibling. Ebbie was loved more, although Fred didn’t feel unlove. He was just more independent and less emotionally attached.
• After Ebbie died, the parents’ attention was shift unto him
• As a child, he was inclined into music and literature
• Sent a letter asking for permission so he can work for a year to fulfill his dreams of becoming a writer
• Father was reluctant, but accepted it, in the condition that if he was not successful at it after a year, he would get a job.
• Skinner referred to this period in his life as the “DARK YEAR”, something that is similar to Erikson’s Identity Confusion
• Second identity confusion or dark time of Skinner’s life was his projects failed. Project Pigeon and Baby Tender
• Took on the position of being a determinist, meaning, behavior are produced because of precursor of humans to producing that behavior. He was also an environmentalist, meaning, the realm of science in relation to psychology is the external factors influencing a behavior, not the internal factors such as hunger, instincts or drives.
• Publishing of Walden Two provided therapeutic effect to Skinner, and admitted that the two main characters of the book are two aspects of his life that he is trying to reconcile
• B.F Skinner - Attained America’s best-known living Psychologist
• Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971), he published About Behaviorism (1974), Reflections on Behaviorism and Society (1978), and Upon Further Reflection (1987a). During this period, he also wrote a three-volume autobiography, Particulars of My Life (1976a), The Shaping of a Behaviorist (1979), and A Matter of Consequences (1983).
• SKINNER’S PRECURSOR TO BEHAVIORISM

  • Edward L. Thorndike
  • John B. Watson
• Edward L. Thorndike

  • animals
  • Law of effect
• Edward L. Thorndike - Satisfier and Annoyer. Rewards and Punishment
• John B. Watson who worked with both animals and humans in behaviorism.
• John B. Watson

  • Construct like instincts, drives, etc., should not be studied, since it won’t give objective data.
  • Observable behaviors are the only ones that should be studied in psychology
• CHARACTERISTIC OF SCIENCE

  • Science is cumulative
  • Science is an attitude that values empirical observation
  • Science is a search for order and lawful relationship
• Science is an attitude that values empirical observation

  • Rejects Authority
  • Demands Intellectual Honesty
  • Suspends Judgment
• Science is a search for order and lawful relationship

  • Scientific method consists of prediction, control, and description
• Science today is much more knowledgeable compared to that of the distant past.
• But philosophy of today is not superior to that of the past
• It should stand to the test of empirical observation. Truth is not truth just because it is told by someone of authority
• Facts will always be discovered, that’s why scientist are compelled to report the results honestly, whether it went along with their idea or not.
• Continuous study and replication of experiments should be done before publishing things.
• Make observations guided by theories, develop hypothesis, and then test the hypothesis through controlled experimentation
• Skinner recognized that there are two kinds of conditioning. Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning (Skinnerian Conditioning).
• Classical Conditioning - This is the act of pairing a neutral (conditioned) stimulus to an unconditioned stimulus a number of times until an unconditioned response was produced every time the unconditioned stimulus is given, and becomes a conditioned response.
• Operant Conditioning - The main concept is to immediately reinforce a behavior in order for the organism to increase or decrease the likelihood of the behavior to be produced