My first reaction to B.F. Skinner’s “Baby in a Box” article was a distressing feeling because I had not heard of such a box. The famous method that I have read about Skinner is the ABC of the operant model that consists of positive and negative, reinforcement, and extinction. Incidentally, I wondered why two parents would experiment on their child. I read this article about five times trying to understand Skinner’s and his wife’s reasoning as to why they would take such a risk with their child’s well being, and to also respond to this article. Skinner addressed that a reason why he and his wife decided to invent an inexpensive apparatus was because “nothing has been done to ease her lot by simplifying and improving the care of babies” (Skinner,
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I thought of principle five, “Don’t treat them as objects or cute little empty-headed people to be manipulated” (Gonzalez-Mena, Janet, and Widmeyer Eyer, Dianne, 2014, p. 18), that was my reaction, I felt that Skinner and his wife treated their baby daughter as an object because they experimented …show more content…
He also explained that the layering of clothes and blankets to keep the baby warm while sleeping inferred the baby’s posture and safety, in which the apparatus/compartment was like an enclosed crib that gave the baby freedom to move around in a safe way, and warm which was kept at a certain temperature, and dry because the mattress had “ a tightly stretched canvas which is kept dry by warm air. A single bottom sheet operates like a roller towel” (Skinner, 1945, p. 2). I agreed with Skinner on these points to a certain degree. I believe that this would be a good idea for the baby to sleep in these conditions, but not to be kept secluded in the compartment at all times. Also, I felt that babies need clothes to wear because it is another opportunity to interact with them, and for them to interact with their surrounding. From all that I have read and learned about child develop in my child development classes, is that children need social interaction not only with the parents as they grow older, but with peers to explore the world in their own way because it plays an important of developing as a whole child. I cannot image
I thought of principle five, “Don’t treat them as objects or cute little empty-headed people to be manipulated” (Gonzalez-Mena, Janet, and Widmeyer Eyer, Dianne, 2014, p. 18), that was my reaction, I felt that Skinner and his wife treated their baby daughter as an object because they experimented …show more content…
He also explained that the layering of clothes and blankets to keep the baby warm while sleeping inferred the baby’s posture and safety, in which the apparatus/compartment was like an enclosed crib that gave the baby freedom to move around in a safe way, and warm which was kept at a certain temperature, and dry because the mattress had “ a tightly stretched canvas which is kept dry by warm air. A single bottom sheet operates like a roller towel” (Skinner, 1945, p. 2). I agreed with Skinner on these points to a certain degree. I believe that this would be a good idea for the baby to sleep in these conditions, but not to be kept secluded in the compartment at all times. Also, I felt that babies need clothes to wear because it is another opportunity to interact with them, and for them to interact with their surrounding. From all that I have read and learned about child develop in my child development classes, is that children need social interaction not only with the parents as they grow older, but with peers to explore the world in their own way because it plays an important of developing as a whole child. I cannot image