Full name – Burrhus Frederic Skinner 1904 – 1990 Celebrated Psychologist from Pennsylvania Inventions for psychology experiments Theory of operant conditioning Verbal Behavior (1957)
Skinner Himself
Behaviorism
All human behavior is a result of the human response to environmental stimuli.
Can be studied and predicted. Three central characteristics:
1. Observation – only observable behaviors are important
2. Environmentalism – the stimulus of environment is the main factor that determines behavior.
3. Learning – humans are taught and shaped by their responses to environment.
Classical Conditioning
Aspect of Behaviorism Associationism –
humans will feel a positive response to things they associate with good experiences, and a negative response to things they associate with bad experiences
Pavlov’s Dog:
Verbal Behavior Theory
Skinner believed language functioned the same as any other trait – it was conditioned and learned
A conversation is a “behavior chain”(1) Each sentence provides a conditional stimulus
which is responded to by the following sentence Four types of Verbal Behavior:
1. Echoic2. Mands/Tact3. Interverbals4. Autoclitic
(1) http://www3.niu.edu/acad/psych/Millis/History/2003/cogrev_skinner.htm
Echoic Verbal Behavior
Primary form of verbal behavior Includes repeated utterances
Can you say “mommy”?
Mommy!
Mands & Tact
An abbreviation of “Demands”
Short directions, utterances driven by need
Not driven by need Disclose information
Stop
Go
I need…
Wait
Autoclitic
Internal speech/thought According to Skinner, follows the same rules
as verbal speech Influences verbal behavior
Thoughts are private. Jeeez. That’s why they’re internal.i need to type more of this. Tok is cooollll.
Skinner & Whorf
Can these two theories coexist?
Language is a learned, conditioned behavior Our thoughts
are fully determined by language
Things to consider: human development, culture and knowledge
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/skinner.html http://www.skewsme.com/behavior/
baby_tender_b.jpg http://www3.niu.edu/acad/psych/Millis/
History/2003/cogrev_skinner.htm http://www.chomsky.info/articles/
1967----.htm http://www3.niu.edu/acad/psych/Millis/
History/2003/cogrev_skinner.htm The Person
Bibliography
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