B F Skinner Burrhus Frederic Skinner Background March

B. F. Skinner Burrhus Frederic Skinner

Background March 20, 1904 - August 18, 1990 Born in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania 1926 a B. A. in English literature Hamilton College, Time spent a struggling writer Inspired by these works, Entered the psychology graduate program at Harvard University. 1936 -married Yvonne Blue in 1936, Daughters Julie and Deborah. 1945 - moved to Bloomington, Indiana became Psychology Department Chair and the University of Indiana. 1948 - joined the psychology department at Harvard University’ 1974 - Retired

Accomplishments He became a leader of behaviorism Invented Skinner box Awards: 1966 Edward Lee Thorndike Award, American Psychological Association 1968 - National Medal of Science from President Lyndon B. Johnson 1971 - Gold Medal of the American Psychological Foundation 1972 - Human of the Year Award 1990 - Citation for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology

Seminal Work in Field

Continued Pavlov and Watson’s Work Advanced Thorndike’s work.

Operant Conditioning Theory Programmed learning Broken into steps Maximize success, minimize frustration Programmed Use instruction of behavioral objectives Tracey 46

To employ theory of operant conditioning we must look at actions and consequences Responses that follow behavior Neutral Operant Reinforcers Punishers

Shaping- Through shaping we gradually bring the learner to the desired outcome by starting to reinforce broad steps and then more specific steps necessary to achieve a goal Chaining- Sequence small steps into a more complex act. Tracey 28

Classroom Application Behaviorism Reading led to the “subskills approach” is broken down to many parts Mastery of parts through response/ immediate feedback

Programmed learning Using activities that demonstrate a correlation between what has been taught and what is assessed Pro Strong on emphasizing concept of sequence and success of students Con Moves very slowly with little student input (Marlow 1)

Direct Instruction Introduction Select examples that are easy to apply skill guided practice Scaffolded Discrimination

Criticism His theory of "operant conditioning" -- known as behavior modification -- seemed, in the 1950 s and '60 s, manufactured for the same fascist tool kit as Huxley's soma or Orwell's thoughtcrime” (Bennet 1)

“ ‘I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t read any of his work, ’ Spock wrote, ‘but I know that it’s fascist and manipulative, and therefore I can’t approve of it. ’” (Freedman 1)

Time found Skinner unsettling enough to put him on its cover and ask, "Skinner's Utopia: Panacea, or Path to Hell” (Bennet 1).

Walden Two To teach toddlers self-control, Frazier says, workers hang lollipops "like crucifixes" around their necks and tell them they may eat the whole thing later, provided they don't lick it until permitted (Bennet 1).

Citations Bennet, J (2012). What man can make of man. In The Atlantic. . Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 6 May 2013. Cherry, K. (2013). “B. F. Skinner Biography (1904 -1990). ”In About. Com Guide. Retrieved May 13, 2013 from http: //psychology. about. com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_skinner. htm Edgier, M (2012). Recent leaders in American education. In College Student Journal 46. : 174+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 7 May 2013. Freedman, David H. (2012) The perfected self: B. F. Skinner's notorious theory of behavior modification was denounced by critics 50 years ago as a fascist, manipulative vehicle for government control. But Skinner's ideas are making an unlikely comeback today, powered by smartphone apps that are transforming us into thinner, richer, all-around-better versions of ourselves. The only thing we have to give up? Free will. In The Atlantic: 42+. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 7 May 2013. Tracey, D. and Morrow, L. M. (2012). Behaviorism. (Ch. 3) In Lenses on reading: An introduction to theories and models. New York. NY: Guilford Press, pp. 40 -56.