B.F. Skinner's science of behavior produced foundational principles that behavior analysts apply daily in clinical, educational, and organizational settings.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Skinner Foundation
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Join Free →This presentation traces a professional journey that began with a fan letter to B.F. Skinner—leading to an invitation to study with him, and a career spanning laboratory research, instructional innovation, and organizational performance improvement. Following study with Skinner, an introduction by him led to a decade of experimental research and program development with Beatrice H. Barrett—herself a postdoctoral researcher with Skinner and Lindsley at Harvard Medical School. The work began with human operant research using real-time, multi-channel cumulative recording to analyze the development of stimulus discrimination and response differentiation at the level of the individual. This evolved into classroom applications, as Barrett's discrete-trials programmed instruction at the Fernald State School gave way to Precision Teaching—employing Skinner's rate of response and Lindsley's Standard Celeration Chart. New instructional methods built on the discoveries of Eric Haughton and his proteges – focused on practice, measured with rate of response, and designed to accelerate performance of critical behavior components. The goal: to develop fluent behavioral components to accelerate learning and performance of composite behavior and complex repertoires. Drawing on Sidman's stimulus equivalence research—but with self-paced practice and rate-based measurement—new applications of Precision Teaching accelerated the development of verbal repertoires in students with disabilities. This laid the foundation for a broader application of the term fluency to denote true mastery—performance measured in time with standard units, not by the non-standard metrics lacking a time dimension, still common in education, training, and the social sciences. A nudge from Ogden Lindsley into the corporate world led to instructional innovations that built fluent verbal and computer-based performance in sales and customer service roles—recognized as transformative by organizations in industries including biotechnology, telecommunications, online retailing, and financial services. An introduction to Thomas Gilbert and the performance improvement community—including applied behavior scientists such as Dale Brethower, Geary Rummler, and Donald Tosti—brought a powerful new focus on accomplishments, the valuable products of behavior. This shift clarified how to identify essential workplace behaviors and made behavior science more appealing and actionable for business leaders by linking it directly to organizational results. Gilbert's Behavior Engineering Model, revised with user-tested plain English labels, became the Six Boxes® Model—now widely used by performance consultants and many OBM practitioners. Transitioning from conducting consulting projects to teaching and coaching others through projects using these models led to the development of Performance Thinking®, a plain-English, methodology that accelerates insight, communication, and stakeholder alignment, with a foundation in Skinner's science. Today, Performance Thinking® programs are adopted for organization-wide performance improvement and coaching programs in companies across multiple industries. These applications carry forward Skinner's legacy: functionally defined terms, single-subject logic applied to continuous improvement, and rate of response (and/or of accomplishments) as a primary measure of performance. Most recently, the integration of a computerized Standard Celeration Chart—designed for use by leaders, managers, and other professionals without formal training in behavior science—supports real-time, visual analysis of progress and impact. This marks a full-circle return to the power and elegance of Skinner's original measurement technology and functional analysis. Learning Objectives in addition to below: 4. Describe how Lindsley's Precision Teaching brought Skinner's Experimental Analysis of Behavior into classrooms and clinics. 5. Identify the features of Skinner's measurement technology that caused him to describe it as his most important contribution.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | General |
| COA | 0 | — |
Dr. Carl Binder began as a doctoral student in Experimental Psychology, attending Harvard University at the invitation of B.F. Skinner, whose writings had inspired him deeply. With an interest in making a societal contribution, he rapidly shifted from basic research to real world application of behavior science, first developing innovative instructional methods and teacher training for educators, and later contributing to the emerging field of human performance technology in large organizations. With input from many extraordinary teachers and colleagues, Carl has spent over 50 years bringing his enthusiasm for behavior science into corporations, schools, and public organizations worldwide. Founder of four consulting firms, recipient of career awards from the American Psychological Association, the International Society for Performance Improvement, and the Organizational Behavior Management Network, prolific author and speaker, Carl is committed to bringing application of behavior science to as many people on the planet as possible. His ability to synthesize information from multiple fields, communicate complex ideas in plain English to non-specialists, and build excitement about making a difference with behavior science brings thought leadership and a compelling voice to our work at The Performance Thinking Network.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
183 research articles with practitioner takeaways
172 research articles with practitioner takeaways
165 research articles with practitioner takeaways
Side-by-side comparison with a clinical decision framework
Research-backed educational guide for behavior analysts
Research-backed answers to common clinical questions
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.