B.F. Skinner Foundation, One Mifflin Place, Suite 400, Cambridge, MA (2025)

09/20/2025

🔊 New! Pick & Choose Your Learning at Skinner Session 2025 🔊

We heard you — cost & time can be barriers. That’s why this October, you can register à la carte for individual presentations or grab a full conference pass!

✨ Spotlight Session: Skinner in the Real World with Carl Binder, Ph.D.
From a fan letter to B.F. Skinner ➡️ to decades of groundbreaking research ➡️ to transforming organizational performance worldwide, Carl’s career shows how Skinner’s science comes alive in classrooms, clinics, and companies.

You’ll hear how:
✔️ Precision Teaching and fluency shaped learning outcomes
✔️ Reinforcement and measurement systems improve workplaces
✔️ Translational research links lab discoveries to real-world practice

✅ Register Your Way:
🎟️ Just Carl’s session – $25 → Register here https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/SkinnerSession25/events/carl-binders-presentation-tbd

🎟️ Full Conference Pass (all sessions, CEUs, networking) – $99 → Register here https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/SkinnerSession25/registration

Don’t miss this chance to learn from one of the greats!

09/19/2025

🌟 Speaker Spotlight: Francesca degli Espinosa 🌟

We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Francesca degli Espinosa to the Skinner Session 2025! 🎉

On October 11, 2025, Francesca will join David Roth, Emily Kerwin, and David Palmer on the Verbal Behavior Panel—exploring how Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior continues to connect research to real-world practice.

Your registration isn’t just a ticket to world-class learning—it also supports the mission of the B.F. Skinner Foundation: preserving archives, expanding access, and keeping Skinner’s work alive for future generations. 💜

📅 Don’t miss this day of science, application, and inspiration.
👉 Options & Registration

À la carte: Get access to just the Verbal Behavior Panel. Perfect if that’s your priority.
https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/SkinnerSession25/events/panel-on-verbal-behavior-title-needed $37.50

Full Conference Pass: Broader content, multiple sessions, networking, CEUs, etc.
https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/SkinnerSession25/registration $99.00

09/19/2025

🎉 Operants Playground Time! 🎉

You probably know Walden Two was first published in 1948…
But here’s the twist: why are we celebrating the 80th anniversary of the book and the 90th anniversary of Frazier founding the community in 2025? 🤔

📩 Send your answer to [email protected] by Oct 1 for a chance to win a FREE download of Walden Two: Read by the Author audiobook!

(Hint: If you’ve read Walden Two or Skinner’s autobiography, you’ve got this. 😉)

09/19/2025

This shows Skinner working through one of the most common criticisms of his work—that to design environments or shape behavior is to “play God.”

📖 Context
Margaret Mead accused Skinner (in a TV exchange) of wanting to “play God” by controlling people. The audience applauded because this criticism resonates with the fear of loss of freedom or autonomy. Skinner rejects the accusation that behavioral science is about “playing God” in the sense of dominating others.

✨ Skinner’s Reframing
1. The “God” Analogy
⏺ Skinner points out that in Christian theology, God does not control every act humans do. If He did, He’d be responsible for human suffering. Instead, God “allows” humans to act within conditions He created.
⏺ By extension, Skinner argues that designing environments is not forcing control, but setting conditions within which people act.
2. Self-Control and Social Design
⏺ People already control themselves and others by arranging environments.
⏺ This is not absolute domination but construction of conditions—the same principle at work in teaching, parenting, therapy, or governance.
3. Walden Two Example
⏺ Frazier, the community founder in Walden Two, doesn’t micromanage individuals.
⏺ Instead, the environment of Walden Two is designed so that cooperative, prosocial, and reinforcing behaviors are the natural outcome.
⏺ Control lies in the cultural design, not in an authoritarian figure.

🌱 Deeper Point
⏺ All of us already influence and control behavior—through rules, traditions, and institutions.
⏺ The real question is whether we do it haphazardly (through accidents of culture and history) or scientifically (through deliberate design that produces better outcomes).
⏺ Frazier’s “control” in Walden Two is just the thoughtful design of an environment that sustains itself—so it isn’t about coercion, but about arranging conditions for well-being.

Bottom line: Skinner meant that designing environments to shape behavior isn’t “playing God” in the sense of domination—it’s the same kind of influence humans (and societies) already exercise. The difference is that behavioral science can do it deliberately and constructively.

09/18/2025

🔊 New! Pick & Choose Your Learning at Skinner Session 2025 🔊

We heard you — cost & time can be barriers. That’s why this October, Skinner Session 2025 is offering individual presentations à la carte as well as the full conference pass.

If you’re especially interested in verbal behavior research and its practical applications, you won’t want to miss:

🗣️ Verbal Behavior Panel: Bridging Contemporary Research to Practical Applications

Featuring:

Emily J. Kerwin, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA-MA, LBA-NY — Owner/behavior analyst & educator with deep experience in applying Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior, especially with autism & developmental differences. Dr. Kerwin is a BF Skinner Foundation Board Member.

David C. Palmer, Ph.D. — Senior Lecturer at Smith College. His research & teaching span behavioral psychology, statistics. He is a strong advocate for Skinner’s behaviorism. Dr. Palmer is known for clarifying conceptual foundations of verbal behavior and is a Board Member of the BF Skinner Foundation.

Francesca degli Espinosa, Ph.D., BCBA-D — Clinical & research interest in advanced analyses of verbal behavior. Dr. degli Espinosa has worked on studies like teaching generalized intraverbal-tacting with autoclitic frames, answering complex question stems in children with autism.

David Roth, M.A. — Former Editor-in-Chief of Operants and BF Skinner Foundation Board member. David brings both scholarly & applied perspectives.

This panel brings experts in the analysis of verbal behavior to discuss the challenges faced by teachers, clinicians, college instructors, and individuals navigating everyday human interactions when applying principles of verbal behavior to teaching or treatments. Skinner’s Verbal Behavior has long been criticized as a work of theory; however, many would argue that Skinner examined verbal behavior in the light of the experimental relations discovered in his lab. The Verbal Behavior panel will bridge the findings from contemporary research studies to practical applications and everyday life.

✅ Options & Registration

À la carte: Get access to just the Verbal Behavior Panel. Perfect if that’s your priority.
https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/SkinnerSession25/events/panel-on-verbal-behavior-title-needed $37.50

Full Conference Pass: Broader content, multiple sessions, networking, CEUs, etc.
https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/SkinnerSession25/registration $99.00

09/18/2025

📖 What Skinner Is Saying
1. Noncontingent Reinforcement ≠ Just Reinforcement
⏺ Frazier and Burris treat “noncontingent reinforcement” as simply another way of saying “positive reinforcement.”
⏺ Skinner pushes back—he reframes it as closer to love.
2. Love as Noncontingent Action
⏺ Skinner defines love as a disposition to act in ways that are reinforcing without trying to change behavior.
⏺ In other words: when you love someone, you naturally act in ways that please, comfort, or support them—not strategically to shape their actions, but simply because you care.
3. Reciprocal Effects Happen Anyway
⏺ Even though love isn’t intended to change behavior, it inevitably does—because kindness tends to evoke kindness in return.
⏺ But crucially, it’s not based on a contract (“I’ll love you if you love me”). It’s spontaneous reciprocity.
4. Limits in Therapy and Education
⏺ Skinner notes that genuine affection can’t be controlled like a switch—you can’t just turn it on or off to solve problems.
⏺ But you might need to consider whether expressions of love inadvertently reinforce harmful behavior.
⏺ In that case, withholding certain expressions could itself be a more farsighted act of love—protecting the person from harm.

✨ The Deeper Point
Skinner is distinguishing between love as noncontingent reinforcement and deliberate behavior modification:
⏺ Love = actions reinforcing another without aiming to shape behavior.
⏺ Reinforcement (technical) = deliberately contingent on behavior, shaping future actions.
By doing this, he shows that while love can function as reinforcement, it has a unique quality: it is freely given, not arranged to change conduct. Yet it still inevitably has behavioral effects.

Bottom line: What Skinner meant is that love is best understood as a form of noncontingent reinforcement—actions that are kind, pleasing, and supportive without being strategically tied to changing someone’s behavior. It influences behavior anyway, but without the coercive or transactional quality of planned reinforcement.

09/17/2025

This is a fascinating passage because it shows Skinner thinking about Walden Two in the context of science fiction and scientific practice.

Here’s what we think he meant in that Notebooks entry:

📖 Science Fiction as Hypothesis

Skinner saw science fiction not just as entertainment but as a form of speculative hypothesizing. Just as scientists propose hypotheses to be tested, science fiction proposes social or technological scenarios.

In his view:

Extreme form: wild, imaginative proposals with no concern for plausibility (brainstorming without fear of failure).

Milder form: more grounded speculations, like Marx sketching a science of economics, or scientists proposing funding for studies in thought control.

🌱 Where Walden Two Fits

Skinner places Walden Two “between fiction and fiction-come-true.”

It’s not pure fantasy—it was written with scientific principles of behavior in mind.

It’s not yet fully realized—but parts of it already exist, and he expected more of it would eventually materialize.

This positions Walden Two as both a visionary experiment in ideas and a practical proposal for cultural engineering.

✨ Deeper Implication

What Skinner is saying is: Walden Two was never meant to be just a novel. It was a scientific speculation framed in fictional form—a way of asking, “What would society look like if we applied behavioral science systematically?” He believed some of those proposals were already unfolding in the real world by 1969, and that others would follow.

✅ In short: Skinner treated Walden Two as applied science fiction—a serious hypothesis about how science could design culture, expressed through storytelling to spark thought and, hopefully, action.

09/16/2025

B.F. Skinner’s Notebooks (published in 1980) is a fascinating collection that gives readers a direct window into his private reflections and working process. Unlike his formal scientific texts, Notebooks reveals Skinner’s personal voice—his observations, musings, and often unpolished thoughts written over many years. Here are the key points:

📖 What Notebooks Contains

⏺ The book spans nearly 50 years of entries from Skinner’s personal journals.
⏺ It includes reflections on his daily life, thoughts on science, philosophy, art, literature, and society.
⏺ Many entries explore ideas that later developed into his published works, including Walden Two, Science and Human Behavior, and Beyond Freedom and Dignity.
⏺ The writing is often fragmentary—short notes, sketches of ideas, or philosophical questions rather than polished essays.

✨ Why It Matters

⏺ Notebooks highlights Skinner not just as a scientist, but as a human being wrestling with big questions.
⏺ They give insight into how he developed his radical behaviorist perspective and how he thought about applying behavioral science to real-world issues.
⏺ Readers get to see the intellectual background behind his theories—what inspired him, what he struggled with, and how he refined his concepts over decades.
⏺ They also show his deep concern with society’s future, the role of science in shaping it, and his skepticism of traditional institutions.

📌 Significance for Today

⏺ Notebooks allow modern readers to see Skinner’s thought process in action, making them valuable for historians of psychology, behavior analysts, and anyone curious about the evolution of his work.
⏺ They remind us that groundbreaking ideas often emerge through years of private reflection and incremental development.

09/16/2025

1 hour left! That's the post!

Bid now on this rare piece of literature! BF Skinner's only piece of fiction!

Auction open until 11:59 PM ET today!

https://www.bfskinner.org/product/b-f-skinner-walden-two-first-edition-autographed-by-the-author-2025-auction/

09/15/2025

🎥 Turn your sound on to hear how sustaining donors make a difference.

Every archive we digitize, every session we host, every student who discovers Skinner’s ideas for the first time—it all happens because of sustaining donors like you.

Your monthly gift lets us say “yes” to preserving rare manuscripts, “yes” to sharing resources free of ads, and “yes” to connecting 22,000+ people worldwide to behavioral science.

Join us in keeping the legacy alive. Become a sustaining donor today. 🔁
👉 https://donorbox.org/support-the-b-f-skinner-foundation

09/15/2025

🚨✨ Final hours! Auction ends tonight—place your bid now!✨🚨

The Walden Two Book Auction ends TONIGHT at 11:59 PM ET.

This is your final chance to own a true collector’s treasure:
📖 Walden Two — First Edition (1948) — personally signed by B.F. Skinner

🖋 Provenance & Authentication:

Originally purchased in 1948 by the Adriance Memorial Library in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Later acquired by a private owner, who obtained Skinner’s signature.

Donated to the B.F. Skinner Foundation for preservation.

Includes a Certificate of Authenticity, signed by Dr. Julie Vargas (Skinner’s oldest daughter).

📚 Condition:

Cover: Good, original cloth binding intact

Jacket: Fair, with cellophane-taped repairs

Pages: Good, with minor wear consistent with age

🌟 All proceeds support the mission of the B.F. Skinner Foundation—preserving Skinner’s legacy, supporting research, and advancing education in behavioral science.

⏳ Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a rare, signed first edition of one of the most influential works in behavioral science.

👉 Place your bid before 11:59 PM ET: https://www.bfskinner.org/product/b-f-skinner-walden-two-first-edition-autographed-by-the-author-2025-auction/

09/15/2025

🎉🌱 It’s Walden Two Day! 🌱🎉

We’ve spent the 30 days sharing wisdom from Skinner’s Walden Two—a vision of a community built on balance, cooperation, and science applied to everyday life.

💡 Today we’re celebrating the conversations, the reflections, and the challenge Skinner left us: What kind of world could we build if we designed it with human well-being at the center?

So tell us—what are you doing for Walden Two Day? How are you bringing balance, creativity, or cooperation into your day? Drop your thoughts below ⬇️

👉 And don’t forget: today is also the LAST DAY to bid in our rare Walden Two book auction! Signed by B.F. Skinner himself, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to own a piece of behavioral science history.

Bid here: https://www.bfskinner.org/product/b-f-skinner-walden-two-first-edition-autographed-by-the-author-2025-auction/

B.F. Skinner Foundation

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