Contingencies of Reinforcement. Chapter 9: The inside story. Quote 13

Post author:B. F. Skinner Foundation
Post published:September 21, 2018
Post category:Skinner's Quote of the Day

“. . . the real question is not whether machines think but whether men do.” (p. 288)

Subscribe to RSS feed here

All proceeds support the B. F. Skinner Foundation and enable us to continue our important work. Thank you to all of current and previous donors for helping us continue our mission of Better Behavioral Science for a More Humane World!

Please consider donating to the B. F. Skinner Foundation. Right now, there are ten thousand additional reasons to help us in achieving our worthy cause: Better Behavioral Science for a More Humane World! Thanks to a generous pledge, the first $10,000 in donations made during this drive will be matched. That means that your donation will make twice the impact!
Please click the DONATE button, mail in a contribution, or add a donation to a purchase you make from our store.

The newest addition to the Skinner for the 21st Century series, Science and Human Behaivor: Extended Edition, is available to preorder in hard cover! A PDF version of the book is also available.

SKINNER'S QUOTE OF THE DAY

Verbal Behavior: Extended Edition. Chapter 4: Verbal Behavior under the Control of Verbal Stimuli. Quote 16
Echoic responses are useful and reinforced when they serve as fill-ins. In answer to the question What will happen to the international situation during the next few weeks? the student may begin During the next few weeks, the international situation…, which may be purely echoic but, especially if the situation demands speed, self-reinforcing if it provides a breathing space for the composition of the rest of the sentence. (p. 57)
[…]

“. . . the real question is not whether machines think but whether men do.” (p. 288)

You Might Also Like

Beyond Freedom and Dignity. Chapter 1: A Technology of Behavior. Quote 23

Cumulative Record: Definitive Edition (1999). Chapter 1:Freedom and the Control of Men. Quote 13

Recent Issues. Chapter 3: The Initiating Self. Quote 4