Bf Skinner Psychology

B.F. Skinner

Introduction

Burrhus Frederic (B.F.) Skinner was an American behavioral psychologist who was best known for his experiments on changing behavior. With behavioral psychologists Pavlov and Watson as his inspiration, Skinner formulated his theory of operational conditioning. His idea of “shaping” behavior is prevalent in the parenting and teaching techniques of children and students.

Background

B.F. Skinner was born on March 20, 1904 in Susquehanna, a small town in Pennsylvania, where he spent his childhood. He was the first-born son of a lawyer father and homemaker mother who raised him and his younger brother. As a young boy, Skinner enjoyed building and used his imaginative mind to invent many different devices. He furthered his education at Hamilton College in New York to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in writing. Not long after entering college, his 16-year-old brother passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage. During his time at Hamilton, Skinner took a wide variety of classes in all disciplines except for psychology. Following his graduation in 1926, Skinner hoped to write short novels. He also expressed interest in human behavior but was not able to understand it well enough to write papers

Early career

Before making any more future plans, Skinner read Bertrand Russell’s book Philosophy that focused on the research of John B. Watson, the founder of behaviorism. He then grew interested in Watson and read his book Behaviorism. Finally, Skinner came across H.G. Wells’ article in The New York Times magazine and read about the experiments of Ivan Pavlov, another psychologist who focused on behavior. These readings persuaded Skinner to pursue a career in psychology. With this newfound interest, he applied to Harvar...

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...crib continues to face much criticism and judgment. Much of the public did not receive the news of this invention well and accused Skinner of child neglect. It is important to note that while the child used the crib for two years, she was taken out regularly to play and interact with others. Many rumors arose as to the well being of his child. However, she grew up to be just like most adults, going to college, succeeding in art and music, and starting a family.

Other critics are concerned with Skinner’s disapproval of Sigmund Freud, one of psychology’s founding fathers. While many of Freud’s claims are shown to be untrue, it is still unacceptable to have a lack of respect for predecessors. Even though Skinner faced some criticism regarding his work, he is still highly recognized for his ingenuity and discoveries and is the recipient of numerous honors and awards.