The Behavior of Organisms: Extended Edition (PDF)

Description

With the publication of his first book, The Behavior of Organisms (1938), B. F. Skinner launched a new science based upon selection by consequences. In this book, Skinner describes the mechanism through which behavior changes during the lifetime of the individual. He defines his basic unit of behavior, the “operant”.  An operant “acts upon the environment in such a way that a reinforcing stimulus is produced.” He shows how within each context, immediate consequences determine the rate of subsequent actions. Skinner supports his analysis of these contingencies, including reinforcement, extinction, induction, and discrimination, with nearly ten years of illustrative research experiments. 

This new edition includes an article that B. F. Skinner wrote in 1988. In it, he reflects on the significance of his original book from a perspective of fifty years. Also included are two letters to his friend and colleague Fred. S. Keller. One discusses his work before The Behavior of Organisms was printed, the other just after. A foreword by Bill Morse, a student and colleague of Skinner’s during the 1960s, describes the relevance of this book for the 21st century.