Showing results for "BF Skinner" in Psychology & Mental Health

The psychology classic - a detailed study of scientific theories of human nature and the possible ways in which human behavior can be predicted and controlled - from one of the most influential behaviorists of the 20th century and the author of Walden Two.

From author and psychologist B. F. Skinner, regarded by many as the most important and influential psychologist since Freud, comes Walden Two. This fictional outline of a modern utopia has been a center of controversy ever since its publication in 1948. Set in the United States, it depicts a society in which human problems are solved by a scientific technology of human conduct.

Over half a century after its initial publication in 1957, Verbal Behavior has remained in high demand and continues to contribute to science and society. The documented efficacy of Skinner's practices has maintained the popularity of Verbal Behavior despite the initial criticism from Noam Chomsky's allegedly fatal review. In fact, his research has inspired techniques that have proven increasingly successful with aberrant behavior disorders, such as autism and delayed speech.

B.F. Skinner (March 20, 1904-August 18, 1990) was an American psychologist, behaviorist, author, inventor, and social philosopher. Considering free will to be an illusion, Skinner saw human action as dependent on consequences of previous actions, a theory he would articulate as the principle of reinforcement: If the consequences to an action are bad, there is a high chance the action will not be repeated; if the consequences are good, the probability of the action being repeated becomes stronger.