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BIOGRAPHY
Born in Pennsylvania in
1904, psychologist B.F.
Skinner began working on
ideas of human behavior
after earning his doctorate
from Harvard. Skinner's
works include The
Behavior of Organisms
(1938) and a novel based
on his theories Walden Two
(1948). He explored
behaviorism in relation to
society in later books,
including Beyond Freedom
and Human Dignity (1971).
Skinner died in
Massachusetts in 1990.
B.F Skinner
By: Yusuf Abdi
"Education is what survives when
what has been learned has been forgotten”
SCHOOL OF
THOUGHT
Operant Conditioning
Skinner thought all animal
and human behavior was
linked to rewards or
reinforcers. He came up
with the S-R-C (StimulusResponse- Consequence)
model. He thought all
behavior was guided by
consequences. He thought
behavior was objective and
could be chosen by the
individual. He also thought
rewarding someone when
they acted in a favorable
manner that was close to
the desired act could shape
behavior. A way to
achieve this is through
positive reinforcers and
punishment. A positive
reinforcer would be telling
someone thank you or
perhaps a hug or kiss when
a child does a desirable
behavior. Punishment
would be given when a
child misbehaves. The
negative reinforcer maybe
cleaning their room or
doing the dishes.
B.F. Skinner is famous for his research on operant conditioning and
negative reinforcement. He developed a device called the "cumulative
recorder," which showed rates of responding as a sloped line. Using this
device, he found that behavior did not depend on the preceding stimulus as
Watson and Pavlov maintained. Instead, Skinner found that behaviors were
dependent upon what happens after the response. Skinner called
Reinforcement
To ensure the behavior is repeated.
 Negative: something is taken e.g Bedtime
 Positive: something is given e.g Money
Punishment
To ensure behavior is not repeated
 Negative: something is taken e.g cell phone
 Positive: something is given extra homework
Lasting Discoveries
Skinner’s is a well talked-about member of the behaviorism field.
Behaviorism is broken down into three claims. The first claim being that
psychology is not the science of the mind but the science of behavior.
Many parents and teachers use his methods till this day.
Criticism and Problems
B.F Skinner believed that modern science of psychology looked for the
causes of behavior in the wrong place, and was therefore fundamentally in
error. However we no longer believe in that, we believe in human nature. In
today's psychology, and indeed in the larger culture, we do not even
question the idea that action stems from inner intentions, purposes, and
goals.