Authors
B. F. Skinner
B. F. Skinner (1904–1990) was an American psychologist and leading behaviorist who developed the theory of operant conditioning and the concept of reinforcement. He conducted extensive experimental research, designed the operant conditioning chamber, and wrote influential books applying behaviorist principles to education and society.
Quotes: 2
Quotes by B. F. Skinner
Reframing Failure as Contextual Best Effort
Skinner’s line draws a careful distinction between a failure—an outcome that misses a goal—and a mistake—an avoidable error in judgment or execution. In everyday language we often fuse the two, treating any poor result a...
Created on: 3/8/2026
The Deeper Question Behind Machine Intelligence
B. F.
Created on: 2/10/2026