Born in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania in 1904, Burrhus Frederic Skinner was a well known behaviorist and psychologist known for his theory of “radical behaviorism.” He was the son William Skinner, a lawyer, and Grace Burrhus, a homemaker. Although, he was from a Christian background, he eventually became an atheist. Skinner had one brother, Edward that died at the age of sixteen due to a cerebral aneurysm. He did marry after college and had two children. He went to Hamilton College as well as Harvard University and graduated with a B.A. in English literature but initially had intentions of becoming a writer. An unsuccessful attempt of writing a novel convinced Skinner that he did not have enough world experience to become a great writer. He then became interested in behaviorism and continued his studies at Harvard. After receiving his doctorate in psychology at Harvard, he remained working in research and eventually became a teacher and a board member. Before his tenure at Harvard, he was the chair of psychology at Indiana University. While working at Harvard, he invented an operant conditioning chamber, also known as the “Skinner Box.” This was a device used to study both classical and instrumental conditioning of the behavior of animals. Skinner ultimately became a proficient author, writing many books on behaviorism. B.F. Skinner‘s ideas and theories made him a well known, but controversial psychologist over the course of his career.
Born in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania in 1904, Burrhus Frederic Skinner was a well known behaviorist and psychologist known for his theory of “radical behaviorism.” He was the son William Skinner, a lawyer, and Grace Burrhus, a homemaker. Although, he was from a Christian background, he eventually became an atheist. Skinner had one brother, Edward that died at the age of sixteen due to a cerebral aneurysm. He did marry after college and had two children. He went to Hamilton College as well as Harvard University and graduated with a...