Home / Quotes / Quote by B. F. Skinner

Quote by B. F. Skinner

“We have seen that in certain respects operant reinforcement resembles the natural selection of evolutionary theory. Just as genetic characteristics which arise as mutations are selected or discarded by their consequences, so novel forms of behavior are selected or discarded through reinforcement.”

Book:Science And Human Behavior

Work

Science And Human Behavior

This work presents a systematic framework for understanding human conduct through the lens of behavioral science. Drawing on laboratory research with animal subjects, the author extends the analysis of reinforcement, punishment, stimulus control, and extinction to complex human phenomena including verbal behavior, education, government, religion, and psychotherapy. The book argues that human actions can be studied with the same scientific rigor as natural phenomena, rejecting explanations that rely on internal mental states or autonomous agents in favor of observable relationships between behavior and environmental variables. It examines how contingencies of reinforcement shape individual and group behavior, proposes behavioral interpretations of traditional psychological concepts, and discusses the implications of a scientific approach for designing social institutions and addressing practical problems of human welfare. The text remains influential in behavior analysis and has shaped subsequent developments in applied behavior analysis, behavioral economics, and the philosophy of psychology. more

Author

B. F. Skinner

B. F. Skinner was an American psychologist known for his work on operant conditioning and behavior modification. He developed the science of behaviorism and his research had a significant impact on education, psychology, and other fields. more

“The evolution of cultures appears to follow the pattern of the evolution of species. The many different forms of culture which arise correspond to the "mutations" of genetic theory. Some forms prove to be effective under prevailing circumstances and others not, and the perpetuation of the culture is determined accordingly.”

Different Form Culture Theory Evolution Circumstances Prove Species Patterns Determined Arise Prevailing Mutation

Book:Science And Human Behavior

Source: Science And Human Behavior

“There is a striking parallel between the spreading of germs and the spreading of ideas or propaganda. On the one hand we are dealing with a virus which can be transported and transmitted under certain conditions which favor or limit its transportation or transmission: on the other hand with ideas, religions, and doctrines, which can be described as germs, benevolent or malevolent, according to the point of view one takes up. These germs can either remain at their source and be sterile, or emerge in the spreading of infection.”