50 famous phrases of B. F. Skinner about psychology

50 famous phrases of B. F. Skinner about psychology

Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-1990), was a social psychologist, social philosopher and American author. He led a pioneer work in experimental psychology and defended behaviorism, which considers behavior as a function of environmental reinforcement stories. We bring you today this little sample with the most famous Skinner phrases of your professional career.

He studied and work quite controversial, in which he proposed the extended use of psychological techniques of behavior modification, mainly the operant conditioning, To improve society and increase human happiness, as a form of social engineering.

Célebres de B quotes. F. Skinner

A failure is not always a mistake, it can simply be the best that can be done in those circumstances. The real mistake is stop trying.

There is no reason why a man cannot be taught to think.

The authentic problem is not whether the machines think, but if men do.

The main difference between rats and people is that rats learn from experience.

Men build society and society build men.

A self is an appropriate behavior repertoire for a given set of contingencies.

The consequences of an act affect the probability that it occurs again.

Was a man on the moon easier than improving education in our public schools?

You cannot progress towards happiness through political action.

It is a surprising fact that those who oppose more ferrous to manipulation of behavior, however, make the most vigorous effort to manipulate minds.

The behavior is determined by its consequences.

The only geniuses are those produced by the chaos of society, they are the ones who do something about it. Chaos Begins Geniuses.

Education is what survives when everything learned is forgotten.


What people feel is as important as what they do.

The world is at a mediocre level. Any society that is free of hunger and violence, looks bright in this context.

We are just beginning to understand the power of love because we are just beginning to understand the weakness of strength and aggression.

I have often said that my rats have taught me much more than I have taught you.

No one asks how to motivate a baby. A baby naturally explores everything that can, unless they prevent it. And even so, this trend does not die alone, it is annihilated.

Triumph over nature. But never about others.

Men build society and society builds men.

The way in which the positive reinforcement is carried out is more important than the amount.

Do not intervene between a person and the consequences of their own behavior.

Society attacks early, when the individual is helpless.

The most important problem remains to be solved. Instead of building a world in which we all live well, we must stop building one in which it is impossible to live.

Stable personal affection is more than a romantic rationalization of an economic unit.

You cannot progress towards happiness through political action.

Give me a child and I will mold it for anything.

If freedom is a requirement for human happiness, then everything that is necessary is to provide the illusion of freedom.

The most significant fact of our time is the growing weakening of the family.

Do not teach the great books; We must teach love for reading. Knowing the content of some works of literature is a trivial achievement. To be inclined to continue reading, it is a great achievement.

We do not choose survival as a value, it is she who chooses us.

It is said that the genetic endowment of a person is the product of the evolution of the species, it explains part of the functioning of their mind and personal history for the rest.

What is love, except another name for the use of positive reinforcement? Or vice versa.

... Not everyone is willing to defend a position of "I don't know". There is no virtue in ignorance.

Science is a willingness to accept facts even when they oppose desires.

The only fact that I would cry from the roof is this: the good life is waiting for us, here and now.

An important fact about verbal behavior is that the speaker and the listener can reside inside the same skin.

Old age is like going to another country. You will enjoy it more if you have prepared before leaving.

At this moment a huge number of men and women of good will are trying to build a better world. But problems are born faster than they can solve.

The mob rush where people dare to step.

Teachers must learn to teach ... they only need to be taught more effective ways to teach.

We do not choose survival as a value, but it chooses us.

I did not direct my life. I did not design it. I never made decisions. Things always arose and made them for me. That's what life is.

A person who has been punished is simply less inclined to behave in a certain way; In the best case, learn how to avoid punishment.

We should not teach great books; We should teach love for reading.

Democracy is the spawning of despotism. And to such a father, such a son. Democracy is power and rule. It is not the will of the people, he remembers; which is the will of the majority.

Problem resolution implies the construction of discriminative stimuli

It is not a matter of starting. The beginning has already occurred. It is a matter of what to do now.

A music piece is an experience that must be taken by itself.

I will be dead in a few months. But he has not given me the slightest anxiety or concern. I always knew that I was going to die.


Celebres Psychology phrases