BF Skinner is acclaimed as the most influential psychologist of the 20th century by the Review of General Psychology in 2002!
He is referenced in popular television shows such as Simpsons, Lost, and was an inspiration for the Google's PigeonRank posted on April 1st, 2002.
Yet -- still today, there are rampant rumors which paint this man as a non-feeling scientist who attempted to rob humanity of its dignity and free will.
The DBA SIG wants to shed light on this and give you a no-nonsense look at the true BF Skinner!
You may be thinking,"Oh Yes -- Skinner, I've heard about him. He didn't believe in emotions or think that we have free will! I've heard he even ran experiments on his own daughters!"
In case you didn't get to know him, we figured we'd share some quotes from those that knew him best.(After reading the quote, click on the "play" button to hear the clip)
Skinner's daughter, talking about her father-- who he was, and whether he tried to control her and her sister with his science:
"...my father was a father to me, and I was a daughter to him. And I always thought that we really controlled his behavior more than he did ours, because he is very fond of kids, and his own were super according to him. So if we were ever at all unhappy or discontent, it was terribly painful for him to have to see us not happy...sometimes, I think that he would try to help us become more happy, but that is then reinforcing your not being happy. I don't think he applied his techniques consciously at all on us..."
When asked 'growing up what would have been the best word to describe her father':
"Now I would say that the top of the list would be sentimental, then--I don't think I would've seen it. Although, I do remember times that he would put me to bed, and would squeeze my hand just before leaving and there would be tears in his eyes, and I remember looking up and thinking, what's going on? Now I realize exactly what he's going through because I do the same thing with my children, you just feel a tremendous swelling of emotion, and it just brings tears to your eyes. "
Skinner himself, when asked about what he felt when he was told he would die after being diagnosed with leukemia:
"When I was told I had this and would be dead in a few months, -- I didn't feel any emotion or anything at all-- not a bit of panic, fear, or anxiety-- nothing at all....the only thing that touched me, was and I really--my eyes watered when I thought of this I will have to tell my wife and my daughters, see, when you die -- you hurt people if they love you -- and you can't help it. You've got to do it. and that bothered me, otherwise, my dying is...I knew I was going to die, now I know about when, I've had a very good life...it'd be very foolish of me to complain."
Does this sound like a man who would raise his children in a box, someone who doesn't believe in emotion?
Sound clips from Trudeau, M. (1990, July 27). B. F. Skinner on his latest theory and death. [Radio interview]. (Cassette recording available from National Public Radio, All things Considered, 635 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20001-3753)
Here are some other common misconceptions about BF Skinner. At first, we thought about sharing all of our thoughts, and tell you why we think they're inaccurate statements, but we decided we'd rather just let Skinner tell you himself:
"A given instance of aggression can generally be traced to both phylogenic and ontogenic contingencies, since both kinds of variables are generally operative upon a given occasion."1 "Operant conditioning is as much a part of the genetic endowment as digestion or gestation. The question is not whether the human species has a genetic endowmment, but how it is to be analyzed. It begins and remains a biological system, and the behavioristic position is that it is nothing more than that..."2
Excerpts taken from: 1Skinner, B.F. (1969). Contingencies of reinforcement: A theoretical analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall 2Skinner, B.F. (1974). About behaviorism. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
"Democracy is a version of countercontrol designed to solve the problem of manipulation."1
"Government has always been the special field of aversive control."2
"Under a government which controls through positive reinforcement the citizen feels free, though he is no less controlled. Freedom from government is freedom from aversive consequences. We choose a form of government which maximizes freedom for a very simple reason: aversive events are aversive. A government which makes the least use of its power to punish is most likely to reinforce our behavior in supporting it."3
Excerpts taken from: 1Skinner, B.F. (1974). About behaviorism. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 2Skinner. B. F. (1956). A debate with Carl Rogers. Science, 124, 1057-1066. 3Skinner, B.F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York: Macmillian.
3) Skinner denies the existence of thoughts, emotions and feelings.
"There is room in a behavioristic analysis for a kind of knowing short of action and hence short of power. One need not be actively behaving in order to feel or to introspectively observe certain states normally associated with behavior. To say, "I know a sea lion when I see one, " is to report that one can identify a sea lion but not that one is now doing so."1
"Emotions are Not Causes...As long as we conceive of the problem of emotion as one of inner states, we are not likely to advance a practical technology. It does not help in the solution of a practical problem to be told that some feature ofa man's behavior is due to frustration or anxiety; we also need to be told how the frustration or anxiety has been induced and how it may be altered."2
Excerpts taken from: 1Skinner, B.F. (1974). About behaviorism. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 2Skinner, B.F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York: Macmillian.
"Extinction is an effective way of removing an operant from the repertoire of an organism. It should not be confused with other procedures designed to have the same effect. The currently preferred technique is punishment, which...involves different processes and is of questionable effectiveness."
Excerpts taken from: Skinner, B.F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York: Macmillian.
"Behavior can only be satisfactorily understood by going beyond the facts themselves. What is needed is a theory of behavior, but the term theory is in such bad repute that I hasten to explain. Psychology has had them more recently, and they have suffered in the light of our improved understanding of scientific method... Facts and theories do not stand in opposition to each other. The relation, rather, is this: theories are based upon facts; they are statements about organizations of facts...27
Excerpts taken from: Skinner, B.F. (1947). Current trends in experimental psychology (1947). Current trends in psychology. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 16-49.
6) Skinner's theory leaves meaningless such concepts as ethics, morals, or values.
"Almost everyone makes ethical and moral judgments but this does not mean that the human species has "an inborn need or demand for ethical standards." (We could say as well that we have an inborn need or demand for unethical behavior, since almost everyone behaves unethically at some time or other.) Man has not evolved as an ethical or moral animal. He has evolved to the point at which he has constructed an ethical or moral culture." "To make a value judgement by calling something good or bad is to classify it in terms of its reinforcing effects."
Excerpts taken from: Skinner, B.F. (1971). Beyond freedom and dignity. new york: Alfred A. Knopf.
7) Skinner ignores the uniqueness of the individual
"The individual is at best a locus in which many lines of development come together in a unique set. His unique genetic product, as unique as that classic mark of individuality, the fingerprint. And even within the most regimented culture every personal history is unique."
Excerpts taken from: Skinner, B.F. (1971). Beyond freedom and dignity. new york: Alfred A. Knopf.
8) That Skinner fails to acknowledge the existence of conscious eperience
"We are aware of what we are doing when we describe the topography of our behavior. We are aware of why we are doing it when we describe relevant variables, such as important aspects of the occasion or the reinforcement."
Excerpts taken from: Skinner, B.F. (1969). Contingencies of reinforcement: A theoretical analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall
9) That Skinner would entirely replace teachers with teaching machines
"...we are on the verge of a new educational "method"--a new pedagogy--in which the teacher will emerge as a skilled behavioral enginneer. He will be able to analyze the contingencies which arise in his classes, and design and set up improved versions. He will know what is to be done and will have the satisfaction of knowing that he has done it."
Excerpts taken from: Skinner, B.F. (1969). Contingency management in the classrom. Education, 90, 93-100
"A conception of human behavior based primarily on clinical information and practice will undoubtedly differ from a conception emanating from the laboratory. This does not mean that either is superior to the other, or that eventually a common formulation will not prove useful to both."
Excerpts taken from: Skinner, B.F. (1956). What is Psychotic Behavior? Theory and treatment of the psychoses: Some newer aspects. F. Gildea, Editor. St. Louis: Committee on Publications, Washington University, 77-99.
11) Skinner's theory robs behavior of its meaning and purpose
"To say that....behaviors have different "meanings" is only another way of saying that they are controlled by different variables."
Excerpts taken from: Skinner, B.F. (1966). An operant analysis of problem solving. Problem solving: Research, method and theory, B. Kleinmuntz, editor, New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 225-257.
The prior list of common misrepresentations were reprinted with permission from Joe Wyatt excerpted from his book:B.F. Skinner From A to Z . You can get a copy here or check out his website at: http://www.josephwyatt.net/
We hope you enjoyed hearing the Skinnerian view, straight from the horse's mouth!
