Reflections on Behaviorism and Society. Chapter 2: Are We Free to Have a Future? Quote 11

Post author:B. F. Skinner Foundation
Post published:July 3, 2019
Post category:Skinner's Quote of the Day

“All we can change are the circumstances in which people live, and we want to change them in such a way that people will behave differently. We are on safer and more promising ground if we stick to the behavior.” (p. 18)

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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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“All we can change are the circumstances in which people live, and we want to change them in such a way that people will behave differently. We are on safer and more promising ground if we stick to the behavior.” (p. 18)

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