
B. F. Skinner
Psychologist, Academic
1904 – 1990
Who was B. F. Skinner?
Burrhus Frederic "B. F." Skinner was an American psychologist, behaviorist, author, inventor, and social philosopher. He was the Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from 1958 until his retirement in 1974.
Skinner invented the operant conditioning chamber, also known as the Skinner Box. He was a firm believer of the idea that human free will was actually an illusion and any human action was the result of the consequences of that same action. If the consequences were bad, there was a high chance that the action would not be repeated; however if the consequences were good, the actions that lead to it would be reinforced. He called this the principle of reinforcement.
He 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, as well as his philosophical manifesto Walden Two, both of which have recently seen enormous increase in interest experimentally and in applied settings. Contemporary academia considers Skinner a pioneer of modern behaviorism along with John B. Watson and Ivan Pavlov.
We need you!
Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!
- Born
- Mar 20, 1904
Susquehanna Depot - Also known as
- Burrhus Frederic "Fred" Skinner
- Burrhus Frederic "B. F." Skinner
- Spouses
- Yvonne Blue
(1936 - 1990)
- Yvonne Blue
- Religion
- Atheism
- Nationality
- United States of America
- Profession
- Education
- Harvard University
- Hamilton College
- Employment
- Harvard University
(1958 - 1974) - University of Minnesota
- Harvard University
- Lived in
- Pennsylvania
- Died
- Aug 18, 1990
Cambridge
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"B. F. Skinner." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 16 Feb. 2025. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/b_f_skinner>.
Discuss this B. F. Skinner biography with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In