The Behavior of Organisms, an Experimental Analysis

by B.F. Skinner

ABOUT THIS With the publication of his first book, The Behavior of Organisms (1938), B. F. Skinner launched a new science based on selection by consequences as the mechanism through which behavior changes during the lifetime of the individual. The book summarizes nearly ten years of research, spanning the years of Skinner's graduate school days at Harvard through his three years as a member of the Society of Fellows. In the book, Skinner defines his basic unit of behavior, which he named the operant, proposes rate as the basic datum, and describes his research program to identify the variables of which behavior is a function.After publication of The Behavior of Organisms, Skinner continued research and writing at the University of Minnesota and at Indiana University before returning in 1948 to Harvard. He extended his scientific analysis to the design of cultures in Walden Two (1948), to verbal behavior (Verbal Behavior, 1957), and to the field of education (The Technology of Teaching, 1968). In 1971 Skinner published a best seller, Beyond Freedom and Dignity, addressing the implications of behavioral science for traditional notions of control. These endeavors, and many other articles and books, had their origins in The Behavior of Organisms which opened up a new frontier in the understanding of behavior.Published originally in 1938. Reprinted by the B. F. Skinner Foundation, 1991 and 1999. This book is from the Official B. F. Skinner Foundation Reprint Series.

Genres: Psychology, Science, Nonfiction, Classics

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

Burrhus Frederic Skinner was a highly influential American psychologist, author, inventor, advocate for social reform and poet. He was the Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from 1958 until his retirement in 1974. He invented the operant conditioning chamber, innovated his own philosophy of science called Radical Behaviorism, and founded his own school of experimental research psychology—the experimental analysis of behavior. His analysis of human behavior culminated in his work Verbal Behavior, which has recently seen enormous increase in interest experimentally and in applied settings. He discovered and advanced the rate of response as a dependent variable in psychological research. He invented the cumulative recorder to measure rate of responding as part of his highly influential work on schedules of reinforcement. In a recent survey, Skinner was listed as the most influential psychologist of the 20th century. He was a prolific author, publishing 21 books and 180 articles.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be the most important book in the development of modern behavioral thinking in psychology of the last century. In it, Skinner, begins to lay out the work of behavioral psychology for the next 50 years. We are still examining its philosophical implications and as yet we have left unsolved the problems of mind, consciousness, free will, and the good life.

[Madhur Bhargava · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic on behavioral psychology. It is less of a book and more of a detailed logbook of experiments. It would have helped if some of the unnecessary details such as the VERY detailed description of the construction of the Skinner box could have been limited to a few pages rather than dedicating an entire chapter to it.

[Siddharth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this book. not everyone would get it though.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good primer on the study of behavior.

[Victor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Masterfully written, but the vast majority of observations and data is outdated, and reading it before being familiar with Behaviorism can be quite misleading.