Radical Behaviorism: B.F. Skinner

1. B.F.Skinner
Radical Behaviorism

2. “Behavior is
shaped and
maintained by its
consequences”
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3. Situation
(cue)
Response
Consequence
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4. Situation
Discriminative
Stimulus
SD
Response
Operant
R
Consequence
Reward (Reinforcement)
SR or Punishment Sp
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5. Situation
Discriminative
Stimulus
Response
Operant
Consequence
Reward (Reinforcement)
or Punishment
Driving on Rte.
37
Get TicketSpeeding
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6. Situation
Discriminative
Stimulus
Response
Operant
Consequence
Reward (Reinforcement)
or Punishment
In Class Get teacher’s
attention
Raise Hand

7. Situation
Discriminative
Stimulus
Response
Operant
Consequence
Reward (Reinforcement)
or Punishment
With Boyfriend Kisses you backKiss Him

8. Situation
Discriminative
Stimulus
Response
Operant
Consequence
Reward (Reinforcement)
or Punishment
Alone in a room Getting MoneySteal Money
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9. + -
Positive
Punishment
Negative
Punishment
Negative
Reinforcement
Positive
Reinforcement
Something
good
Something
bad
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10. “Reinforcement of successive
approximations of a desired behavior”
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14. Partial or Intermittent
Reinforcement
1Sr
1 R
1Sr
5 R’s
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15. Partial or Intermittent
Reinforcement
2 Qualities
More Responses
Resistant to Extinction
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16. Fixed Ratio R.S.
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17. Variable Ratio
R.S.
Long Pauses Eliminated
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18. Fixed Interval
R.S.
Long Pauses
Long Pauses
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19. Variable Interval
R.S.
Long pauses
eliminated, responding
is steady.
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20. Critique of Skinner-Positive
Most relevant to society
1. Lotteries based on Skinnerian theories
2. Applied to governments
3. Token economies
4. Behavior Modification based on Skinnerian
Principles and is used in Parenting and
Counseling
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21. Critique of Skinner--Negative
Most relevant to society
1. Only worked with animals
2. Ignores role of emotions, character and
the inner workings of the “mind”
3. Sees humans as a kind of robot—put in a
stimulus and we will spit out a response.

22. The problem of
OVERJUSTIFICATION:
If someone is rewarded for
doing something they like,
they will like it less!!
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