Lynn Heile

Educ 121-Child and Adolescent Development

Dr. Deardorf
December 5, 2014
B.F. Skinner

B. F. Skinner has been the source of much scrutiny. His learning perspective
on child
development has been much debated, and yet still recognized for the great
contribution it is to
understanding the maturation of the human person. There are a number interesting
inventions Skinner created and used in his experiments, including, but not limited
to, the operant conditioning chamber, the pigeon guided missle, the teaching
machine and the cumulative recorder. Indeed, he seemed to have a lifelong talent
for inventing. It is unfortunate that his studies were clouded with rumor of child
experimentation with the advent of his air crib, a device meant to help mothers
with crying babies, and which he prototyped for his own child. For this reason he is
sometimes denied the full recognition his work is due in the field of child
development.
During the time in which Skinner was developing his theories, there were a
number of perspectives on child development emerging. Prior to this time children
were seen either as born with innate knowledge, or acquire it piece by piece from
their sensual experiences. These were very old views, stemming from as far back
as Aristotle and Plato. During the advent of child development as an emerging
science, several other theorists contributed to the speculation of how a childs
growth and knowledge progresses. These theorists include the likes of Arnold Gesell

and his maturational theory, Conrad Lorenz and his theory on imprinting, Sigmund
Freud and his contributions to the psychodynamic perspective, and finally John
Locke and John Watson, who argued that child development is based solely on
experience. These latter two scientists are important in that they paved the way for
Skinners theory of operant conditioning. John Lockes theory stated that childrens
minds are a blank slate when they are born, while John Watson carried that one step
further and argued that experience was the only factor in determining the
development of a person (Kail, 2012, p. 10). However, Watson did not back his
theory up with the required research. That is where Skinner filled the void with his
own research.
Skinner believed that the best way to understand behavior was by
measurable standards. He studied the causes and consequences of behavior, an
approach known as operant conditioning. Skinner mimicked Edward Thorndikes
use of animals in a puzzle box. This puzzle box included a lever which could open
the box and allow the animal inside to escape to access a food source placed
outside the box. The animals soon got faster and faster escaping the box.
Thorndikes Law of Efect Theory stated that any behavior followed by a pleasant
consequence is likely to be repeated, and any behavior followed by a negative
consequence isnt (McLeod, 2009). This is important in the fact that it so closely
mirrors Skinners studies. Skinner showed that in children, two kinds of
consequences are especially influential (Kail, 2012, p. 11). Reinforcement, or a
consequence that increases the chance of a behavior being repeated, and
punishment, an unpleasant consequence that decreases the likelihood that the
behavior will be repeated. To prove his theory Skinner used a device known as the
operant conditioning chamber.

The operant conditioning chamber, or Skinners box as it was sometimes

called, consisted of a box with a lever and a food tray inside. A rat could press the
lever and get food delivered to the tray. Skinner observed that a rat placed in the
box would at first wander and snif around and accidentally hit the lever and have a
pellet delivered. Soon the rat would push the lever faster and faster upon entering
the box. It had learned that by pushing the lever a pleasant consequence came
about. This was very similar to what Thorndike discovered in his experiments with
his puzzle box. This box exemplified one aspect of Skinners theory called positive
and negative reinforcement. A reinforcement is a consequence that increases the
future likelihood of the behavior being repeated (Kail, 2012, p. 11). Hence positive
reinforcement consisted of giving a reward to increase the chances that a certain
behavior will be repeated, in contrast to negative reinforcement, an unpleasant
experience being taken away to increase the chances that a certain behavior will be
repeated. An experiment that Skinner performed that exemplified negative
reinforcement included placing a rat in a box that delivered electrical shocks (Zorn,
2009). In the rats frantic struggles to get out, it would inadvertently press on the
lever and the shocks would stop. Soon the rats would figure out that they could be
relieved of the electrical current by pressing on the lever and would do so faster and
faster. This provided the basis for his negative reinforcement explanation.
The cumulative recorder was one of Skinners inventions to assist him with his
experiments using his operant conditioning chamber. It was used to automatically
graphically record behavior. It consisted of a horizontally rotating drum of paper
and a marking needle, much like our lie detectors or EKG machines of today.
Skinner would use this device to record the behavior of pigeons or rats within his
operant conditioning chamber.

Skinners teaching machine was used to deliver a program of specific

instructions to a candidate.
It contained a list of questions and a recorder in which the learner could deliver
answers. If the correct answer was given, a reward was procured. Skinner
advocated using the teaching machine for a large range of students, namely
kindergarten to adulthood, and for many subject areas. He even invented a
teaching machine to teach rhythm. This positive reinforcement is very similar to
the use of stickers or stars with which teachers encourage good behavior in the
classroom. However, it takes out the human factor. I am not sure that the response
would be the same for a child who constantly interacts with a machine. Fortunately,
Skinners teaching machine was not supposed to take the place of a teacher, only
assist him in his endeavors. This machine could be adjusted to individual needs and
responses, and pioneered the use of computers in the classroom.
One of the more interesting inventions B.F. Skinner produced involved a
pigeon-guided missile. During WWII the US Navy needed a way to deliver missiles
into enemy territory. Skinner proposed to put three pigeons in the head of the
missile and project the target onto a screen. Based on his knowledge of operant
conditioning, he knew he could get the pigeons to peck at the screen when they
recognized a certain target. In that way they could guide the missile. Despite
successful military demonstrations, the project was dropped when more
conventional ways to direct the missile became available, namely, radar (Zorn,
2014). This was not because the method was inefectual, it was because nobody
wanted to entrust the magnificent power of a missile to a couple of pigeons!

Perhaps Skinners least successful invention, his air crib, unfortunately has
been misinterpreted and maligned since its conception. It was due to this invention
that rumor and misunderstanding cast a pall over his work that would last the rest
of his career. Skinner noted with the birth of their second child that his wife needed
help with the waking and crying baby during the night. So he tried to improve upon
the traditional crib by inventing a temperature and humidity controlled environment
to reduce the waking due to those influences. Rumor soon swirled that he was
using his child in his own experiments and the crib was labeled cruel and
experimental. This was not the case. Skinner only sought to alleviate
environmental factors that would cause the baby to awaken and cry at night, such
as temperature, sheets and humidity. However, the cast had been set, and once it
has been compared to his box, or operant conditioning chamber, any success it
may have had plummeted. All this despite its purported accomplishment of the
very goals Skinner had set out to tackle. Babies were more environmentally
comfortable in his air-crib. This, coupled with a book written in 2004 (Slater, 2004)
which implied Skinner commonly used his daughter in his experiments led to
confusion and doubt over Skinners entire body of work. His daughter subsequently
wrote a harsh response to this books false implications (Zorn, 2014).
Despite it all, Skinner continues to be one of the most successful theorists of
our time. His work in measuring behavior has left him to be considered as a pioneer
in his field. Although much debate still circulate about his ideas, Skinner has left an
indelible print on the realm of behaviorism and child and adolescent development.

References

Kail, R. (2012) Children and Their Development, 6th ed. New York: Pearson
Education, Inc.
McLeod, S. (2007). Operant Conditioning. SIMPLYPSYCHOLOGY.ORG
Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/operantconditioning.html
McLeod, S. (2007). Edward Thorndike. SIMPLYPSYCHOLOGY.ORG.
Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/edward-thorndike.html
Zorn, M. (2014). B. F. Skinner Inventions and Accomplishments. VISIONLAUNCH.COM
retrieved from www.visionlaunch.com/bf-skinner-inventions-and-accomplishments/