BURRHUS FREDERIC SKINNER

By: Nicole Laitano

IB Psychology

Burrhus Frederic Skinner

BiographyBiographySkinner attended Hamilton College in New York with the desire of becoming a writer or a puppeteer. During his college years he joined the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. As an atheist he was extremely critical of the religious school he attended. He received his B.A in English literature in 1926. After graduation, he attempted to become a writer of fiction. After some time he became disappointed of his literary skills and came to the conclusion that he had too little life experience and no strong personal perspective from which he could write. During this time he became aware of Bertrand Russell’s recently published book An Outline of Philosophy, in which Russell discusses the behaviorist philosophy of psychologist John B. Watson. At the time, Skinner had taken more interest in the actions and behaviors of the people around him, and due to this some of his short stories had taken a "psychological“ influence . He then abandoned literature and tried for admission as a graduate student in psychology at Harvard University.

While a graduate student, he invented the operant conditioning chamber and cumulative recorder, developed the rate of response as a resource for psychological research, and developed a powerful, inductive, data-driven method of experimental research.Due t all of his accomplishments Skinner received a PhD from Harvard in 1931, and remained there as a researcher until 1936. He then became professor at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis and later at Indiana University , where he was chair of the psychology department from 1946–1947, before returning to Harvard as a tenured professor in 1948. he remained there for the rest of his career.In 1936 Skinner married Yvonne Blue (1911–1997); the couple had two daughters, Julie and Deborah. He died of leukemia in 1990 and is buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery, in Cambridge Massachusetts.

TheoriesTheories

Theory of ValueTheory of ValueWhen we do thinks like an origami, we acquire behavior. The stimuli which take control are generated by the behavior itself that can seem like an inferior kind of knowledge, but verbal behavior is brought under the control of different kinds of stimuli in the same way. We teach a baby by showing things, calling the names of things, and by pointing things out. For example, when the baby sees his or her mother, they point out at her and say "mama" in order for the baby to know that this is his or her mother. It is not necessary to teach babies so explicitly, they will learn to speak over time.

Theory of KnowledgeTheory of KnowledgeIt is based on brain science and computer science.brain science: he believed that brain science would eventually determine how the cognitive processes really are.computer science: by using machines that do what people do, they will be able to demonstrate how the mind works.They would be able to evaluate and have a better understanding of human behavior.

Theory of Human NatureTheory of Human NatureActions are processes in which humans form their intentions and implement them to concrete situations in order to modify its relation to its environment in an intended direction.

Theory of LearningTheory of LearningLearning is not doing; it is changing what we do. We might see that behavior has changed, but we do not see the changing. We see reinforcing consequences but not how they cause a change.We may easily overlook these things. When we must describe something that is no longer present, we think that we recall a copy of it. In behavioral analysis, they believe that it is a changed person that responds to a stimuli, not a memory that has been stored.

Theory of TransmissionTheory of TransmissionTeaching is more than telling. Teaching occurs when a response is primed, when it is recalled and then reinforced. for example: When the doorman said "taxi" we learned that the taxi was outside, however, we were not taught.

Theory of SocietyTheory of SocietyA society admires and rewards people that have achieved great things and they refer to those things as good or right. That person's behavior gets positively reinforced and that makes him value him or herself. This person is vulnerable to scientific analysis.

Theory of OpportunityTheory of Opportunity"Educational psychologists, administrators, reformers, and many others were badly educated, shaped by cheap successes, with a grim faith in the status quo. They think metaphorically, illogically, or not at all. They assimilate a new idea to serve part of the established set and forget it. They are smug, unambitious." (Skinner)

Theory of ConsensusTheory of ConsensusA common question is: "If natural selection is so powerful, why have people believed so long in the creation of species according to Genesis?" The myths of human existence have been all very powerful; however, they have not displayed an accurate scientific view. The mind is a myth, and it has all the powers of a myth.

InventionsInventions

Air CribAir CribThis invention would encourage the baby to be more mobile, confident, comfortable, healthy, and therefore, less prone to cry. It was designed to make child care simpler, however, many people said this was a cruel and experimental invention. They also said that Skinner used his daughter Deborah for his experiments and that this lead to her suicide.

The air crib was a temperature-controlled environment, where the baby didn't need to have a blanket or heavy clothing, but could lie with just a diaper on in a temperature- and humidity-controlled box. The box was large enough to allow the baby to move around freely.

Cumulative RecorderCumulative RecorderThe cumulative recorder is an instrument used to automatically record behavior graphically. Initially, its graphing mechanism has consisted of a rotating drum of paper equipped with a marking needle. The needle would start at the bottom of the page and the drum would turn the roll of paper horizontally. Each response would result in the marking needle moving vertically along the paper one tick. This makes it possible for the rate of response to be calculated by finding the slope of the graph at a given point.

For example, a regular rate of response would cause the needle to move vertically at a regular rate, resulting in a straight diagonal line rising towards the right. An accelerating or decelerating rate of response would lead to a curve. The cumulative recorder provided a powerful analytical tool for studying schedules of reinforcement.

Operant Conditioning ChamberOperant Conditioning ChamberDuring his time in Harvard, Skinner developed the OCC in order to measure different organisms' responses and the relationship with their environment. The structure forming the shell of a chamber is a three-dimensional box large enough to easily accommodate the organism (rat, pigeon, monkey, etc) serving as the subject in the research. Conditioning chambers have at least one operand (that can automatically detect the occurrence of a behavioral response or action. Typical operand for monkeys and rats are "response levels"; if the subject presses the lever, the opposite end moves and closes a switch that is monitored by a computer or other programming device.

Typical operand for pigeons and other birds are "response keys" with a switch that closes if the bird pecks at the key with sufficient force. The other minimal requirement of a conditioning chamber is that it have a means of delivering a primary reinforce or unconditioned stimulus like food or water.

Teaching MachineTeaching MachineThe teaching machine was a mechanical device whose purpose was to administer a curriculum of programmed instruction. It housed a list of questions, and a mechanism through which the learner could respond to each question. Upon delivering a correct answer, the learner would be rewarded.

Pigeon Guided MissilePigeon Guided MissileThe US Navy needed a weapon that would be effective against the German battleships. Although missile and TV technology existed, the size of the guidance systems that existed was ineffective. Project Pigeon was potentially a simple and effective solution. However, despite an effective demonstration it was aborted as soon as more effective and efficient solutions were available. The project consisted of dividing the nose cone of a missile into three compartments. Then, a pigeon would be placed in each compartment. Each compartment had a video image of what was in front of them. The pigeons would peck towards the object, hence, guiding the missile. Skinner complained "our problem was no one would take us seriously." The point is perhaps best explained in terms of human psychology (for instance, few people would trust a pigeon to guide a missile no matter how reliable it proved).Radical behaviorism: Skinner came up with a theory he called Radical behaviorism. Unlike methodological behaviorism, it did not require truth by consensus so it could accept private events such as thinking, perception, and emotion in its account.

Skinner complained "our problem was no one would take us seriously." The point is perhaps best explained in terms of human psychology (for instance, few people would trust a pigeon to guide a missile no matter how reliable it proved).Radical behaviorism: Skinner came up with a theory he called Radical behaviorism. Unlike methodological behaviorism, it did not require truth by consensus so it could accept private events such as thinking, perception, and emotion in its account.

BibliographyBibliography• http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/skinner.html• http://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/Skinner.html• http://tip.psychology.org/skinner.html• http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Skinner/Theories/• http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/28124/maslow_and_skinner_b

asic_theories_on.html• http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1689738.html• http://www.academon.com/Essay-B-F-Skinner's-Behaviorism-Theory/6724

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• http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/06/pigeon-guided-missiles-superstitious.php