ABA 800 - Skinner’s Behaviorism

The application of science to the study of behavior was a major paradigm shift from the field of psychology up to that point. John Watson and B.F. Skinner were the initial proponents of such thinking, and their efforts propelled the science to what it is today. In this course, students will read the original texts of Skinner to understand the prevailing thinking at that time, and what led Skinner to propose a scientific analysis of human activity. The texts in this course offer insights to Skinner’s rationale for such an approach, and how it can be used to study a wide range of behaviors and situations. Students will learn how the scientific study of human behavior can explain different events in a way that results in relinquishing traditional theoretical perspectives on why people do what they do.

(Cr: 3