B.F. Skinner: On Trial (Mock Trial of B.F.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan
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Join Free →Psychologists, philosophers and the popular press have accused B. F. Skinner of: a number of scientific, conceptual, and philosophical shortcomings, including: 1) denying that humans have "free will," 2) using science as a means of controlling others, especially through "applied behaviotr analysis," 3) disregarding genetics and other biological contributions to behavior,, 4) contradicting himself on major points, and 5) ignoring the "inner" processes (thoughts, feelings, and cognition.). Except in a special issue of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Skinner did not typically reply directly to his critics. That has left his position open to continued criticism. For instance, Skinner's failure to respond to Noam Chomsky's 1959 review of his 1957 book, Verbal Behavior, has left the impression that Skinner did not have a response and that what Chomsky contended was entirely valid. In this dramatization, B. F. Skinner is given a "mock trial," for the crimes he has been accused of. In character, Carl Rogers, Alfi Kohn, Daniel Dennett, John Garcia, and Noam Chomsky, played by local behavior analyists, serve as witnesses for the prosecution. Four behavior analysts, Sigrid Glenn, A. Charles Catania, Edward Morris, and Philip Hineline, also played by local behavior analysts are witnesses for the defense. Each witness' testimony will be extracted from direct analyzes of their respective works and consist significantly of direct quotes. The jury in these proceeding will be you, the audience, to evaluate the validity and strength of the accusations and quality of the defense. The contents of this presentation presents the criticisms and resolutions of Skinner's stances on psychological privacy, formalism versus structuralism in linguistic analysis, genetic factors in behavior, intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation, freewill and determinism, and other topics that exceeds the level in typical classroom presentations and integrates ideas not typically put together. As such, it presents Skinner's behaviorism in the broad historical and concept context in which it arose, by reference to the debates as the occurred at the time.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1.5 | General |
| COA | 1 | — |
My teaching career began at an early age: helping my younger brothers avoid the wrath of my mother. Following graduation from the school of "hard knocks" and "come here and let me wash your mouth out with soap", I attended Washington University in St. Louis and their teacher education program. Temple University followed that where I learned that learning was doing and doing took practice. Onto the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the allure of neuroplasticity, better known as “you really are changed with each new experience.” Then to UWW. I’ve tried to continually discover new stuff and integrate it in the classroom, as well as emphasize how the most important lessons of life lie (or lay, I’m not sure which) outside the classroom. A bit of humor never hurt either
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
239 research articles with practitioner takeaways
239 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.