Skinner's Functional Analysis

Improved Essays
Moreover, infant behaviors that are attended to and effectively responded to by the caregiver are naturally reinforced by the immediacy and relevance of the caregiver’s response which is the essence of natural consequences, a critical concept in Skinner’s analysis that has been missed or misconstrued in many attempts to review, critique, or interpret Verbal Behavior (McLaughlin, 2010). The last elements that Skinner believes is vital to the functional analysis approach is selective reinforcement. Selective reinforcement is equivalent to the natural selection that perpetuates useful variations in traits within a species, for example the caregiver does not need to be conscious of “selecting” one response over another; children’s responses are selectively reinforced by virtue of communicating more effectively and evoking favorable outcomes (McLaughlin, 2010).
In brief, the article ingenuously states that Skinner’s functional analysis theory for language development is founded on research and studies on what is able to be observed and manipulated. Those who support the behaviorist approach and Skinner state that Chomsky language acquisition theory is based off of unobservable mentalistic or cognitive structures that offer an inadequate explanation (McLaughlin, 2010). The author argues that further studies and research
…show more content…
The upcoming article review by Goddard (2015) “Upon further reflection—the affinity of Noam Chomsky and B.F Skinner” in the Review of General Psychology journal relates to the previous articles discussed due to the author comparing, contrasting, and discussing both theories in depth and the controversy surrounding them. Moreover, Goddard (2015) addressed both the two-theorist’s academic backgrounds, social activism, media approach, capitalism, and similarities and differences regarding their

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    The first of these theories is Skinner’s Behaviourist Theory, which relies on operant conditioning to explain language acquisition. Skinner believed that behaviours that are rewarded will be stronger than those behaviours that are ignored or punished. In regards to language, Skinner thought that language was like any other learnable behaviour. If a parent encourages or rewards a child for speaking and using the correct grammar a child will repeat the behaviour in order to get praise. If the parents ignore incorrect speech and grammar the child will learn that that particular utterance was unacceptable and that they should not repeat it because they will not get praise.…

    • 1489 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Opening Skinner’s Box In chapter one, of Opening Skinner’s Box, the author Lauren Slater contradicts herself. Although she, Lauren Slater, does not say so directly she apparently assumes that skinner’s experiments were meant to create humanity into robots. “Skinner claimed that the mind, or what was then called mentalism, was irrelevant. ”(0-1), this means he found the human mind to be insignificant of any usage.…

    • 879 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alleviating Cognitive Dissonance In the chapter “Quieting the Mind” of the book, Opening Skinner’s Box, author Lauren Slater examines the theory of cognitive dissonance. Leon Festinger, a psychologist at the University of Minnesota, originally introduced the theory of cognitive dissonance to psychology in 1957. The basic way of thinking about cognitive dissonance is that it refers to a situation when two or more cognitive elements (such as behaviors and attitudes/ beliefs) are inconsistent, causing psychological stress and discomfort. Festinger tested his theory by constructing several experiments to observe if participants changed their beliefs to be congruent with their behaviors.…

    • 1011 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    B F Skinner's Theory

    • 81 Words
    • 1 Pages

    According to Schloss and Smith (1998) applied behavior analysis has its roots in behavioral theory, which states that most behaviors are learned responses to environmental stimuli. B.F. Skinner (1953) extended behavioral theory by investigating operant conditioning. After his work, Skinner presents three important principles of operant conditioning: reinforcement, extinction, and punishment. Another important author, who contributed with the behavioral theory was Albert Bandura, who in 1965 and 1977; he can explained that individuals learn new behaviors throughout observations of others’ performance.…

    • 81 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Skinner V. Skinner

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Learning theories are central to the discipline of psychology, therefore, impossible to separate the history of learning theories from the history of psychology. Learning defined as a lasting change in behaviours or beliefs that result from experience, the ability to learn provides every living organism with the ability to adapt to changing environments (Skinner, 1938). Learning theories evolved to separate into two perspectives. First, the behaviourist perspective argues that learning be studied by observation and manipulation of stimulus-response associations. John Watson, who argued that psychology should be the study of observable phenomena, not the study of consciousness, or the mind, first articulated behaviourist perspective in 1913.…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Skinner wanted to understand variable and behavior in its context (the environment). He chooses the environment as a variable because it is where we, us organisms, operate (communicate, react and/ or respond) every day and because the environment also operates on our behavior. Thus, his idea further explains the idea of what happens after we behave/ engage in the behavior. Our experiences of what happens after we behave/ engage in the behavior can greatly affect the way we behave, such as a bad reaction can cause us to think twice about repeating the behavior, also known as a consequence (a reinforcement or punishment). Therefore, experimental analysis of behavior is an idea that Skinner created to study operate conditioning, also known as voluntary behavior.…

    • 782 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I also found it very interesting that Skinner started as a novelist, and ended up being a psychologist. Maybe this was one of the reasons of his colleagues to criticize his work and research, and deny the results. Maybe, they didn’t accept him as a psychologist, or were jealous that he’s was man who could master different subjects, and had also a fine soul. One thing I don’t agree with Skinner is the “free will”.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Whether it’s a grandmother or teacher, politician or security, preacher or scientist; we all have the tendency to listen to those who have more power than us. Or at least think that we do. If a man in an officers uniform tells you to do something, you are more likely to act then if a man in tattered old robes and reeks of trash tells you to do the same task. You wouldn’t even think twice. Lauren Slater, in her book “Opening Skinner’s Box,” explains the experiment done by Stanley Milgram.…

    • 1159 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The innovation of modern day behavioralism started as a movement brought back to the methodological proposals of John B. Watson, who named the term. According to B.F. Skinner, a critically acclaimed psychologist, behaviorism is the philosophy behind the science of behavior. Skinner was mainly known for defining radical behaviorism, a philosophy that embodied the basis of his school of research, named the EAB. While EAB (Experimental analysis for behaviorism) differs from other subtle approaches to behavioral research on countless theoretical points, radical behaviorism takes a departure from methodological behaviorism most poignantly in accepting feelings as well as states of mind as existent and scientifically feasible. This is done by classifying them as something non-dualistic, and here Skinner takes a divide-and-conquer approach, with some instances being identified with bodily conditions or behavior, and others getting a more extended "analysis" in terms of…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Application in Education Similarities and Differences Just as there are differences and similarities between Skinner and Pavlov’s theories, the same could be observed when applying their theories to education. As for the first similarity, both theories involve the process of pairing (Lee, 2005). Pavlov’s classical conditioning involves pairing a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to create an unconditioned response. When this pairing is demonstrated multiple times the desired behavior becomes the conditioned response. Pavlov would exemplify this process in education.…

    • 1005 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Assignment 8: Skinner, Freud and Rogers To compare Skinner, Freud, and Rogers, is to compare three of the greats in the field of Psychology. Behaviorism, psychoanalysis, and humanism comprise the garden from which all other theories have grown. While vast differences have historically been observed in these three men and their theoretical perspectives; for those who choose to see, a few startling similarities may be found as well. For someone with little psychological background, who is just beginning to delve into Freud’s theories, it might seem that his beliefs about human behavior are based in cognitive process like Carl Rogers’s humanistic beliefs.…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    How language and literacy develops has long been a matter of theoretical debate, where numerous academics have been unable to decide on a single theory which can explain the most effective method of learning which can have the greatest effect on the cognitive development of an individual. B.F. Skinner’s (1957) theory of behaviourism and Lev Vygotsky’s (1978) Social Interactionist theory are two such learning models, each with their own distinct differences and implications when applied within an early childhood setting. This essay will focus on comparing these two theories through an analysis of each method’s key characteristics, comparable features and their educational implications within a teaching environment. This discussion will be utilised…

    • 1164 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout any day of ones life they make decisions that can impact the future for them and others, but is there determinism or free will behind the choices? In life many will make decisions that they feel are their own free will and some will make decisions and say it was a result of the environment they are in and that due to something that previously happened to them was a result in their purposeful choice or intention. Determinism is something that everyone lives with on a daily basis and shows how the environment has had influence on one’s live. Determinism is the doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. Using determinism is something that is used in the process of making the choice, however it is something that usually cannot be controlled by a person before the action takes place.…

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Also, Chomsky shows that Skinner provides no experimental evidence to support his model for verbal behavior and further, makes no attempt to understand verbal behavior before attempting to model it. According to Chomsky, Skinner’s model for verbal behavior is unscientific because it reaches beyond its scope and is unprovable. Chomsky’s assessment of Skinner’s model is sound; however, Chomsky himself overreaches when he rejects completely Skinner’s application of his model for operant behavior to that of verbal behavior. Chomsky is correct that Skinner’s model for operant behavior does not accurately describe the full scope of verbal behavior because the model is too simple to describe the complexities of verbal behavior; however, Skinner’s model can be used to describe the basis of verbal behavior and language acquisition. Skinner’s model for verbal behavior is extrapolated from his model for operant behavior.…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Personality is a subject that is mixed with the environment that we are surrounded by and beliefs in which we are brought up with, that transforms us and makes the person we are. It all starts at birth, how we are raised and the changes in our lives that we experience that make us grow as people. Nobody looks at life the same way as we did in our childhood, teens, or even in college. Our personality all changes as we progress through life. Theories have been developed by psychologists to help the science behind who we are, but personality cannot be defined as one easy definition.…

    • 1032 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays