Beyond the Box : : B.F. Skinner's Technology of Behaviour from Laboratory to Life, 1950s-1970s / / Alexandra Rutherford.

B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) is one of the most famous and influential figures in twentieth century psychology. A best-selling author, inventor, and social commentator, Skinner was both a renowned scientist and a public intellectual known for his controversial theories of human behavior. Beyond the Box...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Superior document:Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter University of Toronto Press eBook-Package Backlist 2000-2013
VerfasserIn:
Place / Publishing House:Toronto : : University of Toronto Press, , [2022]
©2009
Year of Publication:2022
Language:English
Online Access:
Physical Description:1 online resource (224 p.)
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Other title:Frontmatter --
Contents --
Acknowledgments --
Introduction: Beyond the Box --
1 A Visible Scientist: B.F. Skinner as Public Intellectual --
2 From Pigeons to People: Constructing the Human Skinner Box --
3 Conditioning a Cure: Behavior Modification in the Mental Institution --
4 Crime and Punishment: Contingency Management in the Prison System --
5 How to Really Win Friends and Influence People: Skinnerian Principles in Self-Help --
6 Living the Dream: Walden Two and the Laboratory of Life --
Conclusion: From Laboratory to Life --
Notes --
References --
Index
Summary:B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) is one of the most famous and influential figures in twentieth century psychology. A best-selling author, inventor, and social commentator, Skinner was both a renowned scientist and a public intellectual known for his controversial theories of human behavior. Beyond the Box is the first full-length study of the ways in which Skinner's ideas left the laboratory to become part of the post-war public's everyday lives, and chronicles both the enthusiasm and caution with which this process was received. Using selected case studies, Alexandra Rutherford provides a fascinating account of Skinner and his acolytes' attempts to weave their technology of human behavior into the politically turbulent fabric of 1950s-70s American life. To detail their innovative methods, Rutherford uses extensive archival materials and interviews to study the Skinnerians' creation of human behavior laboratories, management programs for juvenile delinquents, psychiatric wards, and prisons, as well as their influence on the self-help industry with popular books on how to quit smoking, lose weight, and be more assertive. A remarkable look at a post-war scientific and technological revolution, Beyond the Box is a rewarding study of how behavioral theories met real-life problems, and the ways in which Skinner and his followers continue to influence the present.
Format:Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
ISBN:9781442687455
9783110490954
DOI:10.3138/9781442687455
Access:restricted access
Hierarchical level:Monograph
Statement of Responsibility: Alexandra Rutherford.