B. F. Skinner

                                                                                                                  Course mates  Susan Moriarty and George V.Daukantas

Biographical Information

     Burrhus Frederic "B. F." Skinner (March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990) was an American Behaviorist , author, inventor, and social philosopher who based his theory on the premise that human development  is the result  of the continuous  flow of learning  that comes about  from the concept of Operant Conditioning , cited source retrieved electronically June 25th, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._F._Skinner . In his discussion of operant conditioning , Skinner  used  the  terms "punishment"  referring to a decrease in behavior  when an unpleasant response follows that behavior ,extinction referring  to the systematic way that behaviors are conditioned out of a person's behavior, positive reinforcement referring to any event that , when  it occurs after a response makes that response more likely to happen, negative reinforcement referring to any event that when it ceases to  occur after a response, makes that response more likely to  occur in the future , cited source retrieved electronically June 25th, 2012 from Fiore, L.B. ( 2011) .

Captions

  B.F.Skinner's impact  on education  included his assertion that  "Teachers"  must learn how to teach. In The Technology of Teaching, Skinner has a chapter on why teachers fail (pages 93–113): Essentially he says that teachers have not been given an in-depth understanding of teaching  and learning without knowing the science underpinning teaching, teachers fall back on procedures that work poorly or not at all, such as:

1.  using aversive techniques (which produce escape and avoidance and undesirable emotional effects)
2.  relying on telling and explaining ("Unfortunately, a student does not learn simply when he is shown or told." p. 103);
3.  failing to adapt learning tasks to the student's current level;
4.  failing to provide positive reinforcement frequently enough.

Skinner suggests that any age-appropriate skill can be taught. The steps 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.

Skinner's views on education are extensively presented in his book The Technology of Teaching. It is also reflected in Keller's , F.S, (Personalized System of Instruction)  and  lindsley's , O.R.( Precision Thinking ).  The limitations of Skinner's views can be seen from his argument that it is: 'a step forward' to 'abolish' the "autonomous inner man" , ( Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971) p.215. 

Skinner associated punishment with avoidance. For example, he thought a child may be forced to practice playing his instrument as a form of seemingly productive discipline. This child would then associate practicing with punishment and thus learn to hate and avoid practicing the instrument. Additionally, teachers who use educational activities to punish children could cause inclinations towards rebellious behavior such as vandalism and opposition to education.

Mingling Conversation    

Sue,

  As course mates on the theory Salon,  we get our chance to mingle with B.F.Skinner,developmental theorist . My impression of B.F.Skinner is that he was influenced by Pavlov , I ( 1849-1936) and Watson, J. ( 1878-1958) and  Bandura, A. ( 1925)  all of whom were foundational in developing their theories, classical conditioning by  (Pavlov) and ( Watson) ,  the role of reinforcement by ( Skinner, B.F.)  and  modelling in development  by ( Bandura, A.) . I tend to lean toward a critique on the Behavioral Approach , as when Chomsky, N. (  

What are your impressions? Share some thoughts here about meeting "X": What was X's preferred food and beverage? With whom did X seem to get along well, and with whom did he argue? If you caught some snippets of dialogue, feel free to share.

Reference:   

1. Skinner, B.F. (1938)  The Behavior of Organisms : An  Experimental Analysis .

2. Skinner, B.F.(1948) ,  (1976)  Walden Two (revised 1976 edition).

3. Skinner,  B,F. (1953)  Science and Human Behavior.

4. Skinner, B.F. ( 1957)  Verbal Behavior .
5.  Skinner, B.F. ( 1961)  ,The Analysis of Behavior: A Program for Self Instruction, with James G. Holland. 
6. Skinner, B.F.  ( 1968)  The Technology of Teaching, 1968. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts Library of Congress .
7. Skinner, B.F.  ( 1968) Contingencies of Reinforcement: A Theoretical Analysis,