| Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-1990) is one of the most famous, influential, and controversial figures in contemporary American psychology. He was born in the small railroad town of Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, in March 1904. After graduating from Hamilton College in 1926 with a degree in English, he tried writing, but eventually gave it up, because he felt he had nothing important to say. He became interested in psychology and earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1931.
He taught for several years at the University of Minnesota and Indiana University. During this time he wrote two of his most important books, The Behavior of Organisms (1938) and a novel, Walden Two (1948), which is an account of a utopian society run in accordance with operant principles. Skinner returned to Harvard in 1948, where he remained until his death in August 1990. B. F. Skinner made numerous contributions to the science of behavior. He strongly influenced the area of learning that he named operant conditioning. His Skinner box is now a standard apparatus for the experimental study of animal behavior. Much of his work involved the study of how reinforcement schedules influence learning and behavior. His Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971) is a nonfiction examination of his utopian society, in which he explains why we must understand how we control behavior in everyday life. In his 1987 book, Upon Further Reflection, Skinner presents his views on issues ranging from world peace and evolution to education and old age. |
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