Recent Issues. Chapter 5: Genes and Behavior. Quote 2

Post author:B. F. Skinner Foundation
Post published:December 26, 2018
Post category:Skinner's Quote of the Day

“Once the process of shaping has been recognized, behavior once attributed to feelings and states of mind can be traced to simpler and more readily identified sources.” (p. 50)

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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)
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“Once the process of shaping has been recognized, behavior once attributed to feelings and states of mind can be traced to simpler and more readily identified sources.” (p. 50)

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