B.F. Skinner  Meghan - PowerPoint Presentation

B.F. Skinner  Meghan Cheloni  

What's Going On?The Spanish American War ended, America considered Nation of powerErie RailroadAutomobiles- 1909 Susquehanna first automobileProgressive Era 

The Birth of B.F. Skinner March 20, 1904 – Burrhus Fredick Skinner was born in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania Parents William and Grace Skinner Brother: Edward (Ebbie)When Fred was born there were newspaper headlines reading "Susquehanna has a new law firm, 'Wm. A. Skinner & Son.'"

Fred as a Kid  Creating Inventions- Problem with hanging up pajamas Fred and his little brother, Ebbie were opposites The idea of boxes were introduced 

Fred in High School Loved Music Found school extremely boring Excelled in every subject One of Fred teachers told him before graduating, " You were born to be a leader of men. I just want to say one thing. Never forget the value of human life". (P. 26) 

College Years  Hamilton College in Clinton, New York Placed emphasis on writing and public speaking  Wanted to become a writer  Interested in an Anatomy and Embryology class

Death of Ebbie Fred was home for spring break in, 1923  Fred, Ebbie, and a friend went to get ice creamDied of Cerebral Hemorrhage at 16 Fred felt detached as he watched his brother die

Dark Year (1926)Actually 18 monthsInterested in writers who were influenced by behaviorist philosophyHad no secure paying job, which made it harder to have a high self- esteem  Socially uncomfortable Death of Grandfather 

Harvard  1928, Started Graduate Program at Harvard Wanted to change from Psychology to Physiology The Skinner Box was introduced 

The Growth of Skinner Behaviorism began to grow on campus in 1929-1930Considered a "Serious Threat" to traditional psychologies by Edwin BoringFred wrote his dissertation on "The Concept of the Reflex" Boring wrote a 5 page criticism on it 

Fred S. Keller  Convinced Skinner to continue psychology  Told Skinner, "He could make a science out of the study of behavior and still get his doctorate in psychology" (P.83). Keller took a little longer than Skinner to accept behavioral psychology 

Behavior of Organism First book Skinner publishedPublished in 1938 In the book the idea of behavioral psychology was introducedTalked about the behavior and conditioning of the rat Received a lot of negative feedback  He did also receive positive responses too 

Love LifeWas known as a womanizerHowever, did not have much luck finding the right women He met a woman, Ruth Cook who he called NeddaHis luck turned in 1936, when he met Yvonne Blue who went by Eve 

Yvonne Blue (Eve)  Had hopes for literary career They met July 22, 1936 – shortly after they were engaged Yvonne called off the engagement November 1, 1937- they were married Their marriage was rocky They had two girls; Julie (1938) and Deborah (1944) 

Timeline of Teaching Graduated from Harvard with his PhD in, 1931Stayed at Harvard as a researcher until 1936In 1936, began working at the University of Minnesota 1946-1947, Chair of the Psychology Department at Indiana University Returned as a Professor at Harvard from 1948, Until he retired in 1974

University of Minnesota" My position here is all that could be desired. My teaching duties are light, my students interesting, and I have all the facilities for research that I need" (P.120) Skinner began to break out of his shellPeople wanted him to talk about human behavior Project Pigeon

Project Pigeon In 1940, while on a train to a conference Skinner had an idea, "Suddenly I saw them as 'devices' with excellent vision and extraordinary maneuverability" (P.122). The project started in 1940 and in May of 1941 it was discontinued. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the project was opened up again 

Aircrib  Baby Tender, Baby Box, Heir Crib, Aircrib   Designed environment to reinforce mother child relationship Negative associations on the name  Raised Deborah in it While many bought the crib, it was not popular.

Walden 2- Summary "The population of Walden Two is about one thousand people, all of whom seem to be healthy and happy. They live in communal dwellings, eat in common dining spaces, raise their children in a communal nursery, and grow and build much of what they need. The standard workday lasts only four hours, or less; no one is paid wages--but nothing at Walden Two costs money." 

Walden 2 Solution to Eve's unhappinessMany people did not enjoy this bookAfter WWII many identified the book with Nazi's Brought to life Book sales slowLos Horcones & Twin Oaks 

Teaching Machine   Debbie was the inspiration The results were what Skinner hoped for Skinner removed his name

Beyond Freedom and Dignity "Beyond Freedom and Dignity urges us to reexamine the ideals we have taken for granted and to consider the possibility of a radically behaviorist approach to human problems--one that has appeared to some incompatible with those ideals, but which envisions the building of a world in which humankind can attain its greatest possible achievements."

Beyond Freedom and Dignity The final outrageLeads to impoverish future, if one at allCompared to dictators He "wanted behavioral science to free America from this historical predicament" (p.211). 

Last Years of Skinner 8 days before he died he received,  American Psychological Association's Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to PsychologyAugust 18, 1990- LeukemiaJulie became a behavioristDeborah did behavioral work with porpoises but, did not continue down the path 

Discussion Question #1" Some view him as a reductive, mechanistic behavioral scientist who denied the existence of a creative, purposeful mind or an inner person free to choose and accept responsibility for one's actions" (xi)"Skinner was the Darth Vader of American psychology" (xi) Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Discussion Question #2What do you think about the idea of using pigeons in a war? 

ReferencesB.F. Skinner. (2016, January 20). Retrieved February 21, 2018, from https://www.biography.com/people/bf-skinner-9485671Biography . (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2018, from http://www.massey.ac.nz/~wwpapajl/evolution/assign2/CM/bio.html Bjork, D. W. (2006). B. F. Skinner a life. Washington: APA. Keller, Fred S. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2018, from https://behavioranalysishistory.pbworks.com/w/page/2039979/Keller%2C%20Fred%20SProject Pigeon and “Organic” Guidance. (2015, January 23). Retrieved March 12, 2018, from http://futureforce.navylive.dodlive.mil/2015/01/project-pigeon/Rod, K. (n.d.). Psychology Skinner Box. Retrieved March 10, 2018, from http://aboutintivar.com/cHN5Y2hvbG9neSBza2lubmVyIGJveA/Skinner, B., I., J., Graff, E., Saleh, A., D., . . . K. (n.d.). Beyond Freedom and Dignity. Retrieved March 14, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55987.Beyond_Freedom_and_DignitySKINNER early years. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2018, from http://www.skeptically.org/skinner/id2.htmlWalden Two. ( n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2018, from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/walden2/summary/