0390435333.pdf

Feist−Feist: Theories of

Personality, Seventh

Edition

V. Learning Theories 15. Skinner: Behavioral

Analysis

© The McGraw−Hill^481

Companies, 2009

with parents, educational systems, governmental organization, and so forth, has
played an even more important role in the development of personality,
Skinner hoped that people might be trustworthy, understanding, warm, and
empathic—characteristics that his friendly adversary Carl Rogers (see Chapter 11)
believed to be at the core of the psychologically healthy personality. In contrast to
Rogers, who believed that these positive behaviors are at least partially the result
of the human capacity to be self-directed, Skinner held that they are completely
under the control of environmental variables. Humans are not by nature good, but
they can become so if they are exposed to the proper contingencies of reinforce-
ment. Although his view of the ideal person would be similar to those of Rogers
and Abraham H. Maslow (see Chapter 10), Skinner believed that the means of
becoming autonomous, loving, and self-actualizing must not be left to chance,
but should be specifically designed into the society.
The history of a person determines behavior, and because each human has
a singular history of reinforcement contingencies, behavior and personality are
relatively unique. Genetic differences also account for uniqueness among people.
Biological and historical differences mold unique individuals, and Skinner em-
phasized people’s uniqueness more than he did their similarities.

Chapter 15 Skinner: Behavioral Analysis 475

Key Terms and Concepts

• Skinner’s theory of personality is based largely on his behavioral analysis
  of rats and pigeons.


• Although internal statessuch as thinking and feeling exist, they cannot be
  used as explanations of behavior; only overt behavior can be studied by the
  scientist.


• Human behavior is shaped by three forces: (1) the individual’s personal
  history of reinforcement,(2) natural selection,and (3) the evolution of
  cultural practices.


• Operant conditioningis a process of changing behavior in which
  reinforcement (or punishment) is contingent on the occurrence of a
  particular behavior.
  •A positive reinforceris any event that, when added to a situation, increases
  the probability that a given behavior will occur.
  •A negative reinforceris any aversive stimulus that, when removed from the
  environment, increases the probability of a given behavior.


• Skinner also identified two types of punishment:The first is the
  presentation of an aversive stimulus, and the second involves the removal
  of a positive stimulus.


• Reinforcement can be either continuousor intermittent,but intermittent
  schedules are more efficient.


• The four principal intermittent schedules of reinforcement are the fixed-
  ratio, variable-ratio, fixed-interval,and variable-interval.