B. F. Skinner and his Critics

"Of all contemporary psychologists, B. F. Skinner is perhaps the most honored and the most maligned, the most widely recognized and the most misrepresented, the most cited and the most misunderstood."  (A. C. Catania, 1988).

To examine some of the controversies that justified this statement, we shall begin by considering the nature of Skinner's theory, its assumptions, and the elaboration of its concepts.  Then several controversies will be examined in point-counterpoint fashion, emphasizing the surrounding context and the conceptual nature of the disagreements, as well as the specific points at issue.  These will lead to a consideration of contemporary behavior analysis, which developed from Skinner's work, examining how this viewpoint shares specific assumptions and characteristics with other viewpoints, both inside and outside psychology.

Specific issues will include:

•         What counts as explanation in psychological theory.
•         "The science of behavior," as compared with "behavioral science."
•         The origins, nature and role of awareness in human functioning.
•         Similarities and differences between human and nonhuman behavior.
•         Language:  What the Chomsky/Skinner debate was really about.
•         The ethics of helping people by changing what they do.

* Cross-Listed with Psychology 706,
               for students in the M.Ed. Program in Applied Behavior Analysis.

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