By Lyla KolmanBy Lyla Kolman

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

Interverbals

Used as interaction during dialogue No information disclosed

Please

Thank you

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

Images

Clip art www.skewsme.com/behavior/

baby_tender_b.jpg http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/stafford/

rs_skinner.htm http://www.xtimeline.com/evt/view.aspx?

id=410554