B. F.

SKINNER
Vithia Prasanna Thevar
Nevatha
Durga Devi
Prithi Usha Rao

BIOGRAPHY

Burrhus Frederic Skinner, more commonly known as

B. F. Skinner, was an American psychologist,
philosopher, scientist and poet. An important
advocate of behaviourism, Skinner is known for
inventing the operant conditioning chamber, and for
his own experimental analysis of behavior. He is
widely considered as one of the most influential
psychologists of all time.

SYNOPSIS
Born in Pennsylvania in 1904, psychologist B.F.
Skinner began working on ideas of human behavior
after earning his doctorate from Harvard. Skinner's
works includeThe Behavior of Organisms(1938) and
a novel based on his theoriesWalden Two(1948). He
explored behaviorism in relation to society in later
books, includingBeyond Freedom and Human
Dignity(1971). Skinner died in Massachusetts in
1990.

EARLY LIFE
Burrhus Frederic Skinner was born on March 20, 1904, in
the small town of Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, where he also
grew up. His father was a lawyer and his mother stayed
home to care for Skinner and his younger brother. At an early
age, Skinner showed an interest in building different gadgets
and contraptions.
As a student at Hamilton College, B.F. Skinner developed a
passion for writing. He tried to become a professional writer
after graduating in 1926, but with little success. Two years
later, Skinner decided to pursue a new direction for his life.
He enrolled at Harvard University to study psychology.

CONTRIBUTIONS & ACHIEVEMENTS

B. F. Skinner was a prominent researcher in Harvard
University until 1936. He accepted teaching
positions at the University of Minnesota and Indiana
University. In 1948, he returned to Hardvard as a
tenured professor.

Skinner devised the operant conditioning chamber. He

introduced his own philosophy of science known as
radical behaviorism. His brand of experimental
research psychology is highly regarded, and deals
with the experimental analysis of behavior. Skinners
analysis of human behavior enhanced his work Verbal
Behavior, which has lately seen a boost in interest
experimentally and in applied settings. Skinners
science also made other advances in education
through the work of his students and colleagues,
particulary in special education. He was a prolific
author who wrote about 21 books and 180 articles.

Skinner worked out the rate of response as a

dependent variable in psychological research. He
also figured out the cumulative recorder to assess
the rate of responding as part of his highly
influential work on schedules of reinforcement.
Although Skinners work reach back toward the
founding of educational psychology, and forward into
its modern era, they arguably never attained their
true potential.

FINAL YEARS
In his later years, B.F. Skinner took to chronicling his life and
research in a series of autobiographies. He also continued to
be active in the field of behavioral psychologyfield he helped
popularize. In 1989, Skinner was diagnosed with leukemia.
He succumbed to the disease the following year, dying at his
home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on August 18, 1990.
While many of his behavioral theories have fallen out of favor,
Skinner's identification of the importance of reinforcement
remains a critical discovery. He believed that positive
reinforcement was a great tool for shaping behavior, an idea
still valued in numerous settings including schools today.
Skinner's beliefs are still being promoted by the B.F. Skinner
Foundation, which is headed by his daughter, Julie S. Vargas.

THANK
YOU