Essays Tagged: "b f skinner"

short essay on B.F. Skinner and Freud and their theories

B.F. Skinner, in his novel Walden Two, presents many arguments about how heforesees a positive chang ... presents many arguments about how heforesees a positive change in the world through manipulation of behavior on the personallevel. Sigmund Freud, in his works, specifically Civilization and Its Discon ... ifically Civilization and Its Discontents, presentshis view of human nature and what is innately problematic about it. Both Freud andSkinner agree that human behavior is the result of outside factors ...

(3 pages) 178 1 3.3 Jan/1996

Subjects: Humanities Essays > Philosophy > Classical Philosophy

Psychological Interpretation of B.F. Skinner's "Walden Two"

d essay for psych 101 and other intro level courses none215-90-3744psych. ReedWalden TwoWalden Two, by B.F. Skinner was published by the Macmillan Company in 1948 is a spinoff of Henry David Thoreau's ... iety is the creation of T.E. Frazier and is run under his guidance. The story starts with Professor Burris being prompted by one of his prior students to find some information on the existence of Wald ...

(11 pages) 149 0 4.0 Jan/1996

Subjects: Literature Research Papers > North American

B.F. Skinner's Walden Two

Is it possible for psychologists to ever understand the human condition well enough to create a utopia by "engi ... ogists to ever understand the human condition well enough to create a utopia by "engineering" human behavior? This is the challenge thrown out by behavioral psychologist, B.F. Skinner in his novel, Wa ... n to the professional psychologist. It concerns a fictitious intentional community of 1,000 started by one Frazier (no first name or title ever mentioned) who applies the tools of behavioral modificat ...

(13 pages) 157 0 2.1 Oct/2002

Subjects: Literature Research Papers > European Literature > Poetry

The Relationship Between Self-Reinforcement and Self-Esteem (B.F. Skinner).

According to B.F. Skinner, "reinforcement" is anything within the environment that strengthens a behavior. In thi ... forcement" is anything within the environment that strengthens a behavior. In this sense he defines both positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement and their affects on behavior. A positive rei ... ive reinforcement and their affects on behavior. A positive reinforcer is one that increases the probability of a given behavior; whereas a negative reinforcer increases the probability that a precedi ...

(3 pages) 124 0 3.7 May/2003

Subjects: Social Science Essays > Psychology

Do Superstitious Rituals Work; Or Just Illusions?

gly that superstitious rituals do work. These people usually havesome ritual or tradition that they believe helps them achieve or win something. For example:when someone uses the same color pen every ... hieve or win something. For example:when someone uses the same color pen every time to take a test, because they have taken a testbefore and passed with that color pen. These rituals continue because ...

(1 pages) 30 0 3.0 Dec/2003

Subjects: Social Science Essays > Psychology

Carl Rodgers and B.F. Skinner: Behaviorism Comparison between two descriptions of behavior

B.F. Skinner, who favored the behaviorist approach to psychology, criticized the psychoanalytical th ... approach to psychology, criticized the psychoanalytical theory by suggesting that psychology should be the study of behavior and not just the mind. However, Skinner's approach was radical, in that he ... . However, Skinner's approach was radical, in that he did consider our inner thoughts and feelings, but denied that they had anything to do with behavior. His study of behavior involved close contact ...

(3 pages) 178 0 4.0 Feb/2004

Subjects: History Term Papers

Theories of Personality

How can reactions and behaviors from those around us effect our own personalities or future behaviors?Behaviorists such as ... m those around us effect our own personalities or future behaviors?Behaviorists such as B.F.Skinner believe that responses to our behaviors can reinforce and weaken our desire to repeat the behavior. ... r desire to repeat the behavior. Positive and negative reinforcements are types of responses to our behavior. The responses and/or consequences can be looked at as positive or negative.Positive reinfo ...

(3 pages) 385 1 4.5 Apr/2004

Subjects: Social Science Essays > Psychology > Psychological Theories & Authors

Biography of B.F. Skinner, Psychologist

B. F. SkinnerBurrhus Frederic Skinner, psychologist and behaviorist, was born in Susquhanna, Pennsyl ... hologist and behaviorist, was born in Susquhanna, Pennsylvania in 1904 to William Skinner and Grace Burrhus. His father was a lawywer and his mother was a naturally bright woman. Skinner had only one ... father was a lawywer and his mother was a naturally bright woman. Skinner had only one sibling; his brother died at the age of sixteen. Skinner lived most of his life in Susquhanna. He did not leave t ...

(3 pages) 95 2 4.6 Jan/2005

Subjects: Social Science Essays > Psychology > Psychological Theories & Authors

Utopian Fiction

The drastic use of color has been used to depict the mood of the subject, with greens and intense reds contributing Utopian ficti ... world as the setting for a novel. Dystopian fiction is the opposite: creation of a nightmare world. Both are commonly found in science fiction novels and stories.The word utopia was first used in this ... out a vision of an ideal society. Other examples include Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels", and B.F. Skinner's "Walden Two". "Gulliver's Travels" may also be seen as a satirical utopia because it ...

(2 pages) 22 0 0.0 Aug/2006

Subjects: Literature Research Papers

B.F. Skinner

Burrhus Frederic Skinner (B.F. Skinner) was born March 20, 1904, in the small Pennsylvania town of S ... of Susquehanna. His father was a lawyer, and his mother- a strong and intelligent housewife. His upbringing was old-fashioned and hard-working. Skinner was an active, out-going boy who loved the outd ... gs, and actually enjoyed school. His life was not without its tragedies; however in particular, his brother died at the age of 16 of a cerebral aneurysm.But After all the heart ache, Skinner did recei ...

(3 pages) 137 0 4.0 Sep/2006

Subjects: Humanities Essays > Philosophy

Behavioral Accounts and Treatments of Problem Gambling

AbstractMost people gamble at one time or another. Many people have a positive attitude towards gambl ... time or another. Many people have a positive attitude towards gambling and do not experience any problems. However, for some people gambling can become a problem. It can seriously affect many aspects ... ple gambling can become a problem. It can seriously affect many aspects of an individual's life. Gambling can also affect family members, friends and careers. This essay will demonstrate the relations ...

(9 pages) 96 0 0.0 Oct/2006

Subjects: Social Science Essays > Sociology

The Theories of B.F. Skinner

Skinner � PAGE �3� The Theories of B.F. Skinner4/20/06Psy 250The Theories of B.F. SkinnerMany theorists have presented their theory of ... nted their theory of personality in attempts to either explain their own personal lives or to describe the effects that genetics and the environment have in personality. Countless debates have risen o ... rsonality. Countless debates have risen over the actual cause of people's actions. Is it parental upbringing, genetic traits, unconscious forces or simply responses to stimuli? In this paper I am goin ...

(4 pages) 221 0 3.7 Jun/2007

Subjects: Social Science Essays > Psychology > Psychological Theories & Authors

Walden Two Review

Skinner, Burrhus Frederic, Walden Two. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1948. Pages Read: 301 of 301 Written i ... ric, Walden Two. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1948. Pages Read: 301 of 301 Written in 1945 and published in 1948, Walden Two was set in the 1940's, and was Skinner's only work of fiction. Among Ski ... e 1940's, and was Skinner's only work of fiction. Among Skinner's other works are Science and Human Behavior, About Behaviorism, Beyond Freedom and Dignity, and Reflections on Behaviorism and Society. ...

(2 pages) 14 0 0.0 Oct/2001

Subjects: Literature Research Papers

Theory Essay (B.F.Skinner And Jerome Bruner)

Wednesday, October 10, 2001 This essay is based on the two theories by Jerome Bruner and B.F. Skinner. In this essa ... . Skinner. In this essay B.F.Skinners' theory on Operant Conditioning is compared to that of Jerome Bruners' theory on cognitive learning. This states the ideas and opinion's of the two persons' and t ... ning. This states the ideas and opinion's of the two persons' and their theories on learning.Jerome Bruner had a great effect on cognitive learning. Bruners' theory states, " to perceive is to categor ...

(2 pages) 76 0 3.0 Nov/2001

Subjects: Social Science Essays > Psychology

Biography: B.F Skinner

Research Paper: B.F Skinner"The consequences of behavior determine the probability that the behavior will occur agai ... nsequences of behavior determine the probability that the behavior will occur again". This was said by one of the most famous psychologists, B.F Skinner. Skinner was born on March 20, 1904 in Susqueha ... r. Skinner was born on March 20, 1904 in Susquehanna. He attended Hamilton College in New York and obtained a BA in English. Skinner wanted to be a writer of fiction it didn't work out as he realized ...

(6 pages) 68 0 3.0 Jul/2007

Subjects: Social Science Essays > Psychology

Bill Gates personal development

There is no disputing that Bill Gates is one of America's most accomplished entrepreneurs. His company, Microsoft, continues to ... Microsoft, continues to both revolutionize and dominate the computer industry. Like a star athlete, Bill Gates is one of the largest business celebrities known. What is it that possessed this one man ... one of the largest business celebrities known. What is it that possessed this one man to pioneer a business empire, and establish himself as one of the world's wealthiest individuals? By first unders ...

(4 pages) 94 1 3.0 Aug/2007

Subjects: Social Science Essays > Psychology > Psychological Theories & Authors

Demonstrate how behavior theories apply, within a school-based situation to ensure a positive learning environment is encouraged at all times.

At their most basic, behavioural theories of learning, as opposed to cognitive explanations, focus on how a stimul ... theories of learning, as opposed to cognitive explanations, focus on how a stimulus relates to an observable response from a respondent. It could be said that the pathways and associations - contigui ... t the pathways and associations - contiguity - that this learning creates define responses and thereby pattern the behaviour. Clearly, in a Primary school context, this can have impact at a variety of ...

(13 pages) 206 4 4.6 Oct/2007

Subjects: Social Science Essays > Education

Neobehaviorism

During the period of American psychology between 1930-1960, the focus appeared to shift slightly from Watson’s “conceptual and methodolog ... hift slightly from Watson’s “conceptual and methodological behaviorism” to a less mechanistic behaviorism promoted by B. F. Skinner (Benjamin 1997). The newly developing behaviorism of the time ... focused on animal studies, theory, operational definitions and underlying learning. Skinner’s publication, Science and Human Behavior, was focused mainly on applied psychology rather than pure the ...

(2 pages) 45 0 0.0 Feb/2008

Subjects: Social Science Essays > Psychology

Operant Conditioning

A man named Edward Thorndike spent many years observing and studying animals and their behavior. In one experiment he used something he called puzz ... thing he called puzzle-boxes, and would continuously view cats trying and successfully escaping the boxes (Wikipedia.com, 2006). He observed that at first the cats took a while to escape, but as the n ... dia.com, 2006). From this he put together the law of effect, theorizing that the consequence of the behavior will determine whether the same behavior is strengthened or weakened (Wood, Wood, Boyd, 200 ...

(3 pages) 142 0 5.0 Feb/2008

Subjects: Social Science Essays > Psychology

B.F. Skinner

B.F. Skinner was one of the important figures in the field of behaviorism. Initially, Burrhus Freder ... ajored in literature at Hamilton College in New York. He went to New York City in the late 1920s to become a writer, but he was not successful. "I had nothing important to say," (Vargas, 2006) he late ... ccessful. "I had nothing important to say," (Vargas, 2006) he later explained. So, he decided to go back to school, and went to Harvard to study psychology, since he had always enjoyed observing anima ...

(7 pages) 124 0 4.2 Nov/2008

Subjects: Social Science Essays > Psychology > Psychological Theories & Authors