Operants Were Never "Emitted," Feeling Is Doing, And Learning Takes Only One Trial: A Review Of B. F. Skinner's Recent Issues In The Analysis Of Behavior.
Skinner’s last essays tell us to speak plainly, skip mind words, and expect slow buy-in—so write plans that sound simple and pilot them small.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Malone (1999) read Skinner’s last small book and wrote a plain-language tour.
The book is a set of final essays on theory, work, and life.
No new data—just the founder’s parting thoughts.
What they found
Skinner stuck to his core rules: no mind talk, no “emit” talk, one-trial learning.
He also doubted society would ever run on large-scale behavior plans.
The review simply passes these points along to readers.
How this fits with other research
Geckeler et al. (2000) show verbal-behavior studies now cite fresh data, not just Skinner 1957.
This looks like a clash—Skinner says one trial, new papers say keep testing.
The gap is method: Skinner spoke theory, S et al. count citations of new lab work.
DiGennaro Reed et al. (2016) find only half of OBM papers name basic principles.
That supports Skinner’s fear: even our own journals drift from first-language reinforcement.
Sosa et al. (2022) offer feedback-control as the next paradigm.
Their idea could replace “operant” talk—exactly the shift Skinner warned we may never sell to society.
Why it matters
If you write procedures or teach staff, drop words like “emit” and “mind.”
Say “the child hit the switch” and “reinforcement followed.”
Also, expect resistance when you scale up—Skinner saw it coming.
Use fresh verbal-behavior data from after 1990, keep citing reinforcement, and you stay both current and loyal to the root ideas.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This final collection of Skinner's papers was intended for the professional, although other readers will find much of interest. The first five chapters are devoted to what Skinner called “theoretical issues” and include clear presentations of his positions on “feelings” and on the “self” as an apparent agent of volition. Skinner skillfully discusses thinking, the origins of cognitive‐mediational theories, and a favorite topic: the similarity of processes occurring in the histories of species and of individuals. The next four chapters cover what he called “professional issues,” including the often‐misunderstood philosophy known as radical behaviorism as well as the operant aspects of behavior therapy and attempts to influence educational practices. He seemed disappointed in the lack of acceptance of programmed learning methods and pessimistic about the possibility of improving education practices. This pessimism was evident in the final section, “personal issues,” in which he expressed doubt that the powerful and self‐serving forces of government, business, and religion will ever permit the changes that could be wrought by the application of behavior analysis to the great problems of society. Two other chapters in the last section will be useful to historians who are curious about the influence of logical positivism on Skinner's thinking (apparently there was not much influence) and to sophisticated readers who are interested in Skinner's retrospective consideration of his work.
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 1999 · doi:10.1901/jeab.1999.71-115