Concept and What is: B. F. Skinner and Behaviorism | Psychology

B. F. Skinner and Behaviorism


The discussion about the effects that society produces in the attitudes of the individual is endless. Many believe that through free will is possible to overcome the external factors, without letting them influence in decision-making. Others believe that the social environment have a decisive role in the attitudes of people, diminishing his responsibility for his actions.

One of the thinkers who come into evidence when this type of issue is raised is the North American Burrhus Frederic Skinner, author and psychologist who lived from 1904 to 1990. The most striking theme of his work is the radical Behaviorism, fairly influential theory on practice and thought of Psychology until 50 years.

With the publication of the work "The Operational Analysis of Psychological Terms", in the year of 1945, Skinner questions the methodological Behaviorism of positivist orientation. According to the psychologist, radical Behaviorism is a philosophy of science. This chain aimed to seek understanding of human issues such as culture, freedom and behavior. The model used for the analysis of selection by consequences, without the use of non-physical variables.

Thus, followers of radical Behaviorism believe that to explain the different universes in the behavior of humans, there is need for support in contestable and evidence not only in abstract speculation.

The psychologist was born in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania (E.U.A.) in the year 1904. Its creation took place in a disciplined environment and drive. However, Skinner became a student off the charts, taking an interest in poetry and philosophy during the teenage years.

B. f. Skinner gets forming at New York University in English. His career was directed to the only psychology at Harvard University, where he began his first contact with the behaviorist theory.

He devoted himself for years in activities involving hands-on experiments with animals such as pigeons and rats, based on these comments for production of their books. Skinner was creator of the Skinner boxes, in which laboratory animals and observing their reactions to different types of stimuli. These enclosed environments were adopted by the pharmaceutical industry, which caused a discussion about the abuse of animals in manufacturing of drugs.

His obsession with observing animal behavior was such that, when he had a daughter, created a cradle air-conditioned and, at the time, this gave rise to a rumor that'd be applying your daughter the same experiences that caused rats and pigeons.

Skinner begins to teach at Harvard in 1948. He died in 1990.
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