Upon Further Reflection. Chapter 2: What Is Wrong with Daily Life in the Western World? Quote 21

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Upon Further Reflection. Chapter 2: What Is Wrong with Daily Life in the Western World? Quote 21

Post author:B. F. Skinner Foundation
Post published:March 27, 2020
Post category:Skinner's Quote of the Day

“When for the first time we make a reinforcer contingent upon a response, we bring an operant into existence.” (p. 27)

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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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