Burrhus Frederic Skinner (20 March 1904 – 18 August 1990) was an American psychologist, behaviorist, and inventor, and one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century. Best known for developing the theory of operant conditioning, he was also a founding fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (originally CSICOP), remaining a fellow until his death.[1]
Early life and education
Skinner was born in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, and initially pursued a career in writing before shifting to psychology, drawn to the field by the conditioned-reflex work of Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson's behaviourist writings, and articles by philosopher Bertrand Russell. He completed his PhD at Harvard University in 1931, and remained there as a researcher until 1936, when he joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota.[2]
Operant conditioning
Skinner's central contribution was operant conditioning — the principle that behaviour is shaped by its consequences, through reinforcement or punishment, rather than solely through the prior stimulus emphasised by classical conditioning. To study this systematically, he invented the "Skinner box," a chamber in which an animal subject could press a lever to receive a reward, and the cumulative recorder, which tracked response rates over time.[3] He termed his approach "radical behaviorism," rejecting introspection and any explanation of behaviour based on internal mental states such as beliefs or desires, treating the very concept of "mind" as unamenable to genuine scientific study.[4]
"Superstition" in the Pigeon
Skinner's 1948 paper "'Superstition' in the Pigeon" is his work most directly relevant to the psychology of paranormal and superstitious belief. By delivering food to pigeons at fixed intervals regardless of their behaviour, Skinner found the birds would develop and repeat whatever arbitrary behaviour they happened to be performing when food was first delivered — a wing-flap, a head-turn, a repeated pattern of movement — behaving as though that action itself had caused the reward. The experiment is widely cited as an animal model for how superstitious human behaviour can arise from purely accidental reinforcement, without any real causal connection between the action and the outcome.[4]
Public and controversial works
Skinner's 1948 novel Walden Two depicted a fictional utopian community organised entirely around behaviourist principles of reinforcement, and proved highly controversial for its implications about individual freedom. His later book Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971) argued more explicitly that concepts such as freedom and personal dignity could themselves be understood as products of reinforcement history, again generating significant public debate.[2] He also invented the "Air Crib," a soundproof, climate-controlled enclosure intended to provide an optimal early environment for infant development, which drew considerable public attention and some controversy of its own.[2]
Recognition
Skinner received the U.S. National Medal of Science in 1968, and was identified in surveys of psychologists as the most influential psychologist of the 20th century.[3]
Death
Skinner died of leukaemia on 18 August 1990 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ "History of CSICOP."Skeptical Inquirer.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "B.F. Skinner."Encyclopaedia Britannica.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "B. F. Skinner: Biography and Theories."Explore Psychology.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "B. F. Skinner."Harvard University Department of Psychology.
- ↑ "B. F. Skinner."Pennsylvania Center for the Book.