B.F. Skinners Contribution to Psychology - 1488 Words

B.F. Skinner’s Contribution to Modern Psychology Ian K. Connelly Oklahoma State University B.F. Skinner’s Contribution to Modern Psychology As I began to study the history and beginning of psychology there was one man who stood out to me clearly as a powerful force of influence and contributor to the direction psychology has taken in its still very young life. What does it mean to be a major influential contributor to the science of psychology? This man shows us with his groundbreaking theories, inventions and experiments as well as his over 200 books and articles on the field of psychology. He is Burrhus Frederic Skinner and he is one of the reasons psychology is the profound and crucial science that it is today. (New World†¦show more content†¦This experiment furthered his approach towards behaviorism and also added to what Watson had proposed. (Shacter, Gilbert amp; Wegner, 2011) Also slightly contrary to what Watson and Pavlov believed, he proposed that the behavior of an organism did not depend upon the preceding stimulus but on the reward that occurre d after the behavior took place. (Cherry, 2013) This led Skinner to state in his book, â€Å"The Behavior of Organisms†, what he called the principle of reinforcement. Reinforcement basically stated that when an organism does something that causes it to benefit in some way, it is likely to repeat the action in order to receive the benefit again. This allows organisms to adapt to their environments and the conditions they live in, in order to survive. (Shacter, Gilbert amp; Wegner, 2011) Skinner went on to use his ability to invent and his interest in behaviorism to try and benefit society in many different ways. He invented such things as the â€Å"Air crib† which was an enclosed chamber to put a baby inside that would allow you to closely monitor and modify the temperature and humidity of the environment. Unfortunately this didn’t quite catch on after people started to compare it to his earlier invention, the operant conditioning chamber, and wonder whether or not it was too cruel for a child. Another quite interesting invention that he proposed was a pigeon guided missile. During world war two, before the U.S. Navy had a practical way to guide a missile,Show MoreRelatedSkinner And His Contribution On Behaviorism And Operant Conditioning1500 Words   |  6 Pagesand has been studied by many psychologists for many years now. B.F. Skinner was known as one of the most controversial intellectual figures of the late twentieth century who introduced behavior analysis and the idea of reinforcement (Myers, 2010). Skinner developed much of his work based from the law of effect by Edward Thorndike, who was also known as a philosopher. This research paper will focus on B.F. Skinner and his contribution on behaviorism and operant conditioning. This paper will provideRead MoreThe Role of Research and Statistics in the Field of Psychology1359 Words   |  6 PagesJohn B. Watson work on classical behaviorism that paved the way for B. F. Skinners radical or operant behaviorism which has had a large impact on educational systems. Watson was one of the influential psychologists of the twentieth century. His material is still used in most psychology and educational psychology texts. Watson helped with defining the study of behavior anticipated Skinners emphasis on operant conditioning and the importance of learning and environmental influencesRead MoreBF Skinners Operant Conditioning Theory543 Words   |  2 Pagesï » ¿B.F. 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His model was typically instrumental confirming numerous understandings of the currentRead MoreCarl Rogers Vs. F. Skinner : Which Perspective Is The Most Important?1419 Words   |  6 Pages Carl Rogers vs B. F. Skinner – Which Perspective is the Most Important? A long-debated argument in the field of Psychology has been which theory or explanation of human behavior is the most important and the most viable. Is B. F. Skinner’s theory that behavior is the result of man’s response to external stimuli or is Carl Rogers’ theory that man’s behavior is the result of his determination to achieve self-actualization the best explanation? After much research and thought, I will argue in favorRead MoreWatson, Skinner and Tolman Essay1627 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the 20th century, the science of psychology developed a role that identified it as an essential of life. John B. Watson, B.F. 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