Recent Issues. Chapter 6: Whatever Happened to Psychology as the Science of Behavior? Quote 10

Post author:B. F. Skinner Foundation
Post published:January 16, 2019
Post category:Skinner's Quote of the Day

“To judge from the psychological literature, there are either many conceptions, largely incompatible, or no clear conception at all.” (p. 68)

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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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“To judge from the psychological literature, there are either many conceptions, largely incompatible, or no clear conception at all.” (p. 68)

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