B.f. skinner family

B.F. Skinner was born on March 20, 1904, in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. His father, William, was a local attorney; his mother, Grace, stopped working as a typist after marriage and became a housewife. In 1906, two and half years after Frederic's birth, his younger brother, Edward James (Ebbie), was born. Growing up in Susquehanna, a railroad town with a population around 2,000, the two boys entertained themselves by building things of improvised materials, including a failed system for getting oxygen out of sea water, a shack in the woods, and a cart with an opposite-direction steering wheel. These construction skills would enable an older Skinner to build the apparatus invented for his psychology research. When he was nine years old, Skinner joined the Junior Boy Scouts in Susquehanna, where he experienced weeks of outdoor camping and adolescent independence. The young Skinner also experimented with writing novels and short stories—even a morality play featuring the characters Greed and Youth.

Fred Skinner, as his family referred to him, enjoyed his education at Susquehanna High

Burrhus Frederic Skinner was born March 20, 1904, in the small Pennsylvania town of Susquehanna.  His father was a lawyer, and his mother a strong and intelligent housewife.  His upbringing was old-fashioned and hard-working.

Burrhus was an active, out-going boy who loved the outdoors and building things, and actually enjoyed school.  His life was not without its tragedies, however.  In particular, his brother died at the age of 16 of a cerebral aneurysm.

Burrhus received his BA in English from Hamilton College in upstate New York.  He didn’t fit in very well, not enjoying the fraternity parties or the football games.  He wrote for school paper, including articles critical of the school, the faculty, and even Phi Beta Kappa!  To top it off, he was an atheist -- in a school that required daily chapel attendance.

He wanted to be a writer and did try, sending off poetry and short stories.  When he graduated, he built a study in his parents’ attic to concentrate, but it just wasn’t working for him.

Ultimately, he resigned himself to writ

B. F. Skinner

American psychologist and social philosopher (1904–1990)

B. F. Skinner

Skinner, c. 1950

Born

Burrhus Frederic Skinner


(1904-03-20)March 20, 1904

Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, U.S.

DiedAugust 18, 1990(1990-08-18) (aged 86)

Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.

Alma materHamilton College (AB)
Harvard University (PhD)
Known forBehavior analysis
Operant conditioning
Radical behaviorism
Verbal Behavior (1957)
Spouse

Yvonne (Eve) Blue

(m. 1936)​
[1]
ChildrenJulie and Deborah
AwardsNational Medal of Science (1968)
Scientific career
FieldsPsychology, linguistics, philosophy
InstitutionsUniversity of Minnesota
Indiana University
Harvard University

Burrhus Frederic Skinner (March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990) was an American psychologist, behaviorist, inventor, and social philosopher.[2][3][4][5] He was the Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from 1958 until his retirement in 1974.

Copyright ©oakvibe.pages.dev 2025