What was b.f. skinner known for

For example, if a teacher wanted to encourage students to answer questions in class they should praise them for every attempt regardless of whether their answer is correct.

Gradually the teacher will only praise the students when their answer is correct, and over time only exceptional answers will be praised.

Unwanted behaviors, such as tardiness and dominating class discussion can be extinguished through being ignored by the teacher rather than being reinforced by having attention drawn to them. Knowledge of success is also important as it motivates future learning.

However, it is important to vary the type of reinforcement given so that the behavior is maintained. Skinner's study of behavior in rats was conducted under carefully controlled laboratory conditions.

Note that Skinner did not say that the rats learned to press a lever because they wanted food. He instead concentrated on describing the easily observed behavior that the rats acquired. In the Skinner study, because food followed a particular behavior the rats learned to repeat that behavior, e.

Therefore research e. Skinner proposed that the way humans learn behavior is much the same as the way the rats learned to press a lever. So, if your layperson's idea of psychology has always been of people in laboratories wearing white coats and watching hapless rats try to negotiate mazes in order to get to their dinner, then you are probably thinking of behavioral psychology. Behaviorism and its offshoots tend to be among the most scientific of the psychological perspectives. The emphasis of behavioral psychology is on how we learn to behave in certain ways.

We are all constantly learning new behaviors and how to modify our existing behavior. Operant conditioning can be used to explain a wide variety of behaviors, from the process of learning, to addiction and language acquisition. It also has practical application such as token economy which can be applied in classrooms, prisons and psychiatric hospitals.

However, operant conditioning fails to take into account the role of inherited and cognitive factors in learning, and thus is an incomplete explanation of the learning process in humans and animals.

For example, Kohler found that primates often seem to solve problems in a flash of insight rather than be trial and error learning. Also, social learning theory Bandura, suggests that humans can learn automatically through observation rather than through personal experience.

The use of animal research in operant conditioning studies also raises the issue of extrapolation. Some psychologists argue we cannot generalize from studies on animals to humans as their anatomy and physiology is different from humans, and they cannot think about their experiences and invoke reason, patience, memory or self-comfort.

McLeod, S. Skinner - operant conditioning. Simply Psychology. Bandura, A. Social learning theory. Ferster, C. Schedules of reinforcement. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

Kohler, W. The mentality of apes. Skinner, B. The behavior of organisms: An experimental analysis. New York: Appleton-Century. Superstition' in the pigeon. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 38 , How to teach animals. Science and human behavior. Thorndike, E. Animal intelligence: An experimental study of the associative processes in animals. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 2 4 , i Watson, J.

Psychology as the behaviorist views it. Psychological Review, 20 , — Presenting the subject with something that it likes. Toggle navigation. He redefined the meaning of free will by proposing the revolutionary concept of behaviorism.

The therapy technique of behavior modification resulted from his theories on reinforcement and behaviorism. The significant concept identified by proposition of this theory is reinforcement which can be controlled by shaping. Shaping and controlling are the fundamental concepts underlying theory of reinforcement. Skinner also conducted his experiments on a device called verbal summator to analyze the theories of verbal behavior and he also conducted an analysis about superstitious phenomena on pigeons.

He had earned numerous awards and positions in rewards for his phenomenal works to the field of psychology. Skinner also penned down some notable books which proved his mettle as a great writer, the books he wrote include Walden Two and Beyond Freedom and Dignity. Home Blog Contact. How to Cite This Page B. His work drew comparisons to Ivan Pavlov, but Skinner's work involved learned responses to an environment rather than involuntary responses to stimuli.

This project was canceled, but he was able to teach them how to play ping pong. Skinner turned to a more domestic endeavor during the war. In , he built a new type of crib for his second daughter Deborah at his wife's request. The couple already had a daughter named Julie.

This clear box, called the "baby tender," was heated so that the baby didn't need blankets. There were no slats in the sides either, which also prevented possible injury. In , Skinner became the chair of the psychology department at Indiana University.

But he left two years later to return to Harvard as a lecturer. Skinner received a professorship there in where he remained for the rest of his career. As his children grew, he became interested in education. Skinner developed a teaching machine to study learning in children. He later wrote The Technology of Teaching Skinner presented a fictional interpretation of some of his views in the novel Walden Two , which proposed a type of utopian society.

The people in the society were led to be good citizens through behavior modification—a system of rewards and punishments. The novel seemed to undermine Skinner's credibility with some of his academic colleagues.

Others questioned his focus on scientific approaches to the exclusion of less tangible aspects of human existence.

In the late s and early '70s, Skinner wrote several works applying his behavioral theories to society, including Beyond Freedom and Dignity He drew fire for seemingly implying that humans had no free will or individual consciousness. Noam Chomsky was among Skinner's critics.

In , Skinner tried to set the record straight regarding any misinterpretations of his work with About Behaviorism.

In his later years, Skinner took to chronicling his life and research in a series of autobiographies. He also continued to be active in the field of behavioral psychology — a field he helped popularize.