B.F. Skinner Foundation

09/08/2026

To be the best, learn from the best!

🎙️ Diving into the Skinnerian approach to verbal behavior? Don't miss Skinner Session 2026: Verbal Behavior in Action on Oct 23, 1:00–5:30 PM ET.

Andre Anderson explores Skinner's Verbal Behavior through spoken word poetry. Dave Palmer & David Roth unveil newly discovered audio from Skinner's 1967 seminar. Emily Kerwin leads a clinician panel putting verbal behavior analysis to work across service settings.

1.5 BACB® ETH + 3 BACB® GEN CEUs. Early bird bundle: just $60.

Register: https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/SkinnerSession2026/registration

09/08/2026

🔬 Tuesday Sneak Peek: Project ORCON

Pigeon-guided missiles? For B. F. Skinner, it was a serious wartime research project.

In April 1940, as the N***s invaded Norway and Denmark, Skinner was on a train, turning the problem over in his mind. In his own words: "I was looking out the window as I speculated about these possibilities, and I saw a flock of birds lifting and wheeling in formation as they flew alongside the train. Suddenly I saw them as 'devices' with excellent vision and extraordinary maneuverability. Could they not guide a missile? Was the answer to the problem waiting for me in my own backyard?"

The result was Project Pigeon. Using food reinforcement, Skinner trained pigeons to peck at projected images of enemy targets. Riding inside a missile nose cone, a pigeon would track the target as it moved across a screen — and each peck sent a signal to correct the weapon's course.

The project later continued at the Naval Research Laboratory under a new name: ORCON, short for "organic control." The system never saw combat, but it remains one of the most remarkable demonstrations of operant conditioning ever attempted — and one of military research's strangest meetings of psychology, animal training, and engineering.

Explore the digital archives now at bfskinnerarchives.org

09/08/2026

🤝 Become a B.F. Skinner Foundation Friend!

Our Friend sponsorship for the Fall Skinner Session 2026: Verbal Behavior In Action is a great fit for organizations that want to support the science, bring their team along, and be recognized for it.

Here's what's included:
✨ Ten registrations to the Skinner Session for your staff
✨ An invitation to the B.F. Skinner Foundation Board Reception
✨ Featured logo during the event
✨ Featured logo and website link on the event page
✨ Featured listing on the Foundation's website
✨ A special recognition plaque
✨ A dedicated thank-you to our email list — logo, link, and QR code
✨ Special recognition on our social media
✨ Skinner swag for up to 30 employees 🎁

Every sponsorship supports the Foundation's ongoing work: making Skinner's writings accessible, recognizing outstanding contributions to the field, and giving the next generation of behavior analysts the resources to engage deeply with the science.

It's a way to put your values into action — and to be recognized for it. 💙

Learn more: https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/SkinnerSession2026/call-for-sponsors/4327

09/05/2026

Operants Magazine Editor, Sydney Berkman, will be presenting at ! The Foundation will be there too! Will you?

BABAT 2026 Invited Speaker Announcement: 𝗗𝗿. 𝗦𝘆𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗺𝗮𝗻 📣

Sydney Berkman is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with a doctorate and master’s degree in behavior analysis from Western New England University and a master’s degree in special education from Simmons University. He has been working with individuals with developmental disabilities—at summer camps, in residential programs, in schools, and via telehealth—for 20 years. He has extensive experience leading teams, providing professional mentorship, and building clinical & educational systems that support high-quality, evidence-based care and emphasize choice and assent.

Dr. Berkman currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Operants magazine, Vice President of the B. F. Skinner Foundation, and a Member of the B. F. Skinner Foundation’s Board of Directors. His behavior analytic interests include conceptual and practical issues related to observational learning and learning in a group, helping bring the science of behavior to broader audiences, and expanding ABA services and training to underserved populations and areas.

During his leisure time, you can probably find him outside—whitewater kayaking, trail running, hiking, biking, or climbing —usually with his trusty adventure dog, Buster, and volunteering as a whitewater paddling instructor and hiking leader for the Appalachian Mountain Club and MIT Outing Club.

Wonder what Dr. Berkman will be speaking about at the 47th Annual Conference? Topics and Titles are coming soon, and registration is OPEN!

BABAT 2026 will be bigger than ever, and we can't wait to see you there!
Register: https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/babat2026/registration

BehaviorLive

09/05/2026

😂 Got a behavior-analytic joke?

Operants magazine is looking for original behavior-analytic jokes to feature in Operants Playground—the section where behavioral science meets creativity and humor!

Whether your joke involves reinforcement, extinction, stimulus control, verbal behavior, or another behavioral principle, we would love to hear it.

Submit your jokes to [email protected] for consideration.
Help us show that behavior analysts can be seriously funny!

09/04/2026

Join us October 23 for the Fall Skinner Session 2026: Verbal Behavior In Action — an afternoon exploring Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior from the stage, the archives, and the clinic floor.

Sessions feature Andre Anderson, BCBA, on spoken word poetry and sustainable behavior change; David Palmer, Ph.D., and David Roth, M.A., BCBA, on newly discovered recordings of Skinner's 1967 seminar; and a five-clinician panel led by Emily Kerwin, Ph.D., BCBA-D, on verbal behavior in clinical practice.

📅 October 23, 2026 | 1:00–5:30 PM ET | BehaviorLive
🎓 1.5 BACB® ETH | 3.0 BACB® LRN
🎟️ Early bird registration: $60

09/03/2026

🏛️ Introducing our top sponsorship tier: Skinner's Legacy Sponsor

For organizations that want to make a real investment in the future of behavior analysis, the Legacy Sponsorship for the Fall Skinner Session 2026: Verbal Behavior In Action is our most comprehensive partnership.

Here's what's included:
✨ Unlimited registrations for your entire staff
✨ A private 30-minute meet and greet with the Foundation Board member of your choice
✨ An invitation to the B.F. Skinner Foundation Board Reception
✨ Featured logo and a live shout-out during the event
✨ Featured listing on the Foundation's website and event page
✨ A special recognition plaque
✨ A dedicated thank-you to our email list — logo, link, and QR code
✨ Special recognition on our social media
✨ A set of Skinner books for your office
✨ Skinner swag for up to 50 employees 🎁

Sponsorship supports the Foundation's ongoing work: making Skinner's writings accessible, recognizing outstanding contributions to the field, and giving the next generation of behavior analysts the resources to engage deeply with the science.

It's a way to put your values into action — and to be recognized for it. 💙

Learn more: https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/SkinnerSession2026/call-for-sponsors/4327

09/01/2026

SALE EXTENDED! GET YOUR COPY OF VERBAL BEHAVIOR IN PAPERBACK FOR ONLY $15!

Through September 15, the paperback edition of Verbal Behavior: Extended Edition is just $15 (plus shipping) in the B. F. Skinner Foundation bookstore*.

Even better, every copy includes our exclusive companion Study Guide!

Whether you're a student, instructor, or behavior analyst looking to revisit a classic, there's never been a better time to own this essential resource.

The B. F. Skinner Foundation's exclusive Extended Edition includes three of Skinner’s articles published after his 1957 original book: “A Lecture on Having a Poem” (1971), “The Evolution of Verbal Behavior” (1986), and “The Behavior of the Listener” (1988). They address creativity, how verbal behavior arose, and the role that listeners play in Skinner's analysis. This edition also features a foreword by Dr. David C. Palmer.

Don't miss this limited-time offer! B. F. Skinner Foundation's Official Extended Edition with Study Guide paperback is 50% off, only $15 plus shipping*.

Every purchase from our bookstore supports the B. F. Skinner Foundation's mission to preserve, advance, and share the science of behavior for the benefit of future generations.

* Promotional pricing is valid through September 15, 2026, and does not apply to previous purchases. Please note that all products are shipped via USPS Priority Mail, and we are unable to ship to addresses outside the United States. Promotional offers and gifts are available exclusively to customers purchasing directly from bfskinner.org and are not available through third-party sellers.

https://www.bfskinner.org/product/verbal-behavior-extended-edition/

09/01/2026

🎉 Happy Birthday to Judah Axe, PhD, BCBA-D! 🎂

Please join us in wishing a very happy birthday to Dr. Judah Axe, President of the B. F. Skinner Foundation!

We are grateful for Judah’s leadership, scholarship, and commitment to advancing and sharing the science of behavior. His dedication helps the Foundation continue its mission of preserving B. F. Skinner’s legacy while supporting the continued growth and dissemination of behavioral science around the world.

Judah, we hope your birthday brings plenty of reasons to celebrate—and perhaps a little positive reinforcement along the way! 🥳

Happy Birthday from all of us at the B. F. Skinner Foundation! 💙

09/01/2026

🔬 Tuesday Sneak Peek | The Experimental Series

Before it was famous for the wrong reasons, the Air Crib was simply a father's attempt to make caregiving a little easier.

In 1944, B. F. Skinner designed the Air Crib — the Baby Tender — a temperature- and humidity-controlled space meant to keep an infant comfortable while sparing parents endless blankets and laundry. It was invention in service of the everyday: less fuss, more rest, for baby and family alike.

When it appeared in the October 1945 Ladies' Home Journal under the title "Baby in a Box," the sensational framing overshadowed the intent. Many confused it with Skinner's operant-conditioning chamber, and a myth took root around his daughter Deborah that grew more distorted with each retelling.

Deborah answered those stories in her own words: she was never a "lab rat," she was not harmed by the Air Crib, and she and her father had a wonderful relationship — a bond no rumor could rewrite.

Watch the video for a photo from the family's personal collection. 🖤

Making behavior visible.

Explore the digital archives → www.bfskinnerarchives.org