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Born in Susquehanna, PA
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Graduated from Hamilton College
B.A. English Literature. (Actual day and month of graduation unavailable) -
Period: to
Skinner lived and studied in Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Graduated with Masters from Harvard
M.A from Harvard University (actual day and month unavailable) -
Beginning of the Cummulative Recorder
The development of the Cummulative Recorder spans multiple decades, but began in the 1930's as Skinner sought to improve the kymograph. -
Skinner Box (Operant Conditioning Chamber)
The Skinner Box was used to isolate a test subject from all outside influences. Rats and pigeons were used in behavior testing and a cummulative recorder was employed to record the responses and rate of response. -
Graduated with PhD from Harvard
Actual day and month unavailable. -
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Skinner lived in Minnesota
Married Yvonne Blue and moved to Minnesota for his first teaching job -
Married Yvonne Blue
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Birth of first daughter - Julie
Actual day and month unavailable. -
First Book - The Behavior of Organisms
Actual day and month unavailable -
Birth of second daughter - Deborah
Actual day and month unavailable. -
WWII - Project Pigeon
Pigeon Project was Skinners attempt to use pigeons for missle guidance (as there were no systems in place at that time). His work was discontinued due to a new technology known as 'radar'. His project did, however, convince his to use pigeons instead of rats since they behave quicker. -
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Skinner lived in Bloomington, Indiana
Chair of the Psychology Department at Indiana Universit and one of the Directors of the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (SEAB). 12 yesrs later the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) became the society's journal. -
Air Crib / Baby Tender / Baby in a Box
Published in Ladies Home Journal as "Baby in a Box", Skinner's invention was often misunderstood. At the prompting of his wife, Skinner sought to make a safe crib by replacing bars with plexiglass and blankets with a heater. It was not intended for, nor was it ever used for experimental purposes. -
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Skinner lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Gave the William James lectures in 1947, joined the Psychology Dept in 1948, published many papers with a talented group of graduate students -
Published Walden Two
Fictional utopian story about an advanced community in the 1940's that uses scientific social planning and employs operant conditioning to raise children -
Teaching Machine
Created by Skinner when his children were in school, it was meant to allow students to receive immediate individual feedback and helpful hints. Students would be able to progress at their own pace. -
Published Verbal Behavior
A book 20 years in the making upon a challenge from Alfred North Whitehead. (Actual day and month unavailable) -
Published Cummulative Record
First published in 1959 (and three times since then), this book contains many of the writings of Skinner. Some of the more prominent papers include Pigeon Project, The Technology of Education and A Case History in Scientific Method, -
Published Beyond Freedom and Dignity
Book in which Skinner argues for scientific approaches to behavior modification instead of decisions made by agency or moral code. -
Died of leukemia
