Historical Context of Work

Born: 1904

Died: 1990

Burrhus Frederic “B. F.” Skinner, an American, was one of the most influential psychologists of our time.  He dismissed the Freudian concepts of the subconscious and psychoanalysis, holding instead the behaviorist view that observable behavior can be controlled and shaped by external influences, without regard for the internal mental processes of the individual.  Skinner developed the concept of operant conditioning, in which acts that approximate desired behavior are rewarded, thus shaping behavior.

Education and Influences

Bachelor's degree from Hamilton College, 1926

Master's degree from Harvard University, 1930

Ph.D. from Harvard University, 1931

B. F. Skinner  was strongly influenced by:

• ·         Bertrand Russell, British logician and philosopher
• ·         Ivan Pavlov, known for classical conditioning, and shaping behavior through association
• ·         John Watson, known as the father of behaviorism
• ·         Edward Thorndike, a pioneer in educational psychology

Work Life

Skinner first worked at Harvard in research psychology until 1936 after completing his doctorate there at age 27.  He taught at both the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis and Indiana University, and later returned to Harvard for the rest of his professional life.

1931-1936:  Research psychology, Harvard University

1936-1945:  Professor, University of Minnesota at Minneapolis

1945-1948:  Professor and Chair, Indiana University

1948-1990: Professor, Harvard University

He also received numerous awards and recognitions, and wrote several books, including:

The Behaviour of Organisms, 1938

Walden Two, 1948

Science and Human Behavior , 1953

Verbal Behavior, 1957

The Technology of Teaching, 1968.

Beyond Freedom and Dignity, 1971

Skinner was also an inventor.  He created the Operant Conditioning Chamber, also known as the “Skinner Box,” used to condition animals to respond to stimuli with certain behaviors.

The Teaching Machine was a device designed by Skinner to deliver programmed instruction.  It was used to immediately reward the student with positive reinforcement for correct answers and allowed learners to work at an individualized pace.

Another Skinner invention known as the Air Crib was designed to create a safe, comfortable, temperature-controlled environment for babies without the need for blankets or the bars of a crib.

Impact on Best Practices

"Teachers must learn how to teach ... they need only to be taught more effective ways of teaching."   - B.F. Skinner

Skinner believed teachers needed to learn more about the way people learn in order to teach effectively.  He believed in using behaviorist techniques to positively reinforce desired behavior in students, and rewarding them immediately and individually with feedback.  Skinner felt that students should be active participants in their learning, something very much valued today with the focus on student-directed as opposed to teacher-directed activities.  He stressed the importance of adapting the material to meet the student’s level, and warned of an overreliance on lecturing without opportunities for students to learn by doing.

Behaviorist techniques that can be successfully employed by teachers, and recommended by Skinner in his book The Technology of Teaching (1968) are:

1. Clearly specify the action or performance the student is to learn to do.
2. Break down the task into small achievable steps, going from simple to complex.
3. Let the student perform each step, reinforcing correct actions.
4. Adjust so that the student is always successful until finally the goal is reached.
5. Transfer to intermittent reinforcement to maintain the student's performance.

Problems or Failures

Skinner originally wanted to be a writer, but felt he lacked the life experiences to do so successfully.

Skinner was seen as controversial due to the importance he placed on behavior and his denial of the role of inner thought and choice and genetic tendencies. Some felt he equated humans with animals by studying them as mindless creatures at the mercy of external forces.  He has also been criticized for disagreeing with Freud’s focus on psychoanalysis.

Misinformation about his air crib invention caused it to become confused with the “Skinner Box,” and led to rumors that he used it to experiment on his own daughters and treated them as subjects in an experiment.

Other Interesting Facts

Skinner felt that punishment simply taught people how to avoid it, and he was vocal in his opposition to the use of corporal punishment in schools.

Impact on Others

Noam Chomsky famously criticized Skinner’s views on language acquisition, dismissing behaviorism’s theory that humans are not naturally wired for language, but have to be taught (conditioned).

Many of Skinner’s concepts are utilized today in computer-based instruction, and current theory in classroom management also makes use of his operant conditioning techniques.

References

Russell B. (1926). Education and the good life. New York: Boni & Liveright

Skinner, B. F. (1968). The technology of teaching. Appleton-Century-Crofts. 

Thyer, B. A. (2007). On the possible influence of Bertrand Russell on B. F. Skinner's approach to education. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 40(3), 587.

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/B._F._Skinner 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._F._Skinner