B. F. Skinner

B.F. Skinner is regarded as one of the most influential behaviorists, advocating that it is environmental stimuli that shape behavior of an individual. His strong disposition on the subject of behavior is evident in his discourse on cognitive psychology, “Why I Am Not a Cognitive Psychologist”; in which he enumerates various cognitive concepts and mechanisms before providing a behavioral explanation of the phenomena. To illustrate, Skinner introduces the subject of abstraction, which is considered the cognitive process of expanding old concepts to accommodate new ones (abstraction, 2015). As an example he provides a simple experiment in which a hungry pigeon pecks a color-labeled panel based off the color of a miscellaneous object presented to it. While the cognitive approach purports that it the
In Skinner’s evaluation of Waddington and Tinbergen, he notes that the biologist believes the animal takes action not to achieve a goal, but because it simply feels like doing it (Skinner, 1977). The British statesmen example of frustration being the cause of petty crime amongst young people reinforces the cognitive principle that behavior can be inspired by feelings. However, Skinner reveals the mistakes of such belief; he states that while emotions may provide clues to contingencies, they cannot replace them as causes (Skinner, 1977). His proposition is instead very similar to Clark Hull’s drive reduction theory; the young man is frustrated because he does not have money or resources to provide to be able to eat, which generates a physiological need for food. In accordance with Hull’s theory then, the young man, if no other resource or option is viable, will steal from another to obtain the nourishment he needs (“Drive”, n.d.). The young man does not steal because he is feeling frustrated, but because his circumstances deprive him of one of the most basic physiological