Reflections on Behaviorism and Society. Chapter 1: Human Behavior and Democracy. Quote 5

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Reflections on Behaviorism and Society. Chapter 1: Human Behavior and Democracy. Quote 5

Post author:B. F. Skinner Foundation
Post published:May 30, 2019
Post category:Skinner's Quote of the Day

“No matter how essential to the survival of a species a process may once have been, it can become troublesome or even lethal when the environment changes, and this has happened to both positive and negative reinforcement.” (p. 5)

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SKINNER'S QUOTE OF THE DAY

Verbal Behavior: Extended Edition. Chapter 6: Special Conditions Affecting Stimulus Control. Quote 7
Reinforcing sounds in the child’s environment provide for the automatic reinforcement of vocal forms. Such sounds need not be verbal; the child is reinforced automatically when he duplicates the sounds of airplanes, streetcars, automobiles, vacuum cleaners, birds, dogs, cats, and so on. But among the sounds which become important are the verbal responses of his parents and others. (p. 164)
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“No matter how essential to the survival of a species a process may once have been, it can become troublesome or even lethal when the environment changes, and this has happened to both positive and negative reinforcement.” (p. 5)

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