Author Question: We get a glimpse of Skinner's view that people operate predictably in his childhood interest of: ... (Read 118 times)

rmenurse · **on:** Jun 21, 2018

We get a glimpse of Skinner's view that people operate predictably in his childhood interest of:

a. dissecting frogs and other animals.
b. constructing mechanical devices.
c. listening sympathetically to the fears and worries of his young friends.
d. pretending to be a preacher delivering sermons on hellfire and damnation.

Question 2

Skinner's experiences as an adult such as visiting a cathedral and taking care to avoid stepping on the gravestones set in the floor made it clear to him that his adult behaviors had been determined by _____ he experienced as a child.

a. the sexual conflicts
c. the unconscious complexes
b. the identity crisis
d. the reinforcements

jennafosdick · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 21, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B
FEEDBACK: The many hours he spent as a child constructing mechanical devices such as wagons and seesaws were prophetic of Skinner's view of people as machines that operate predictably. Skinner also worked on a perpetual-motion machine, which perpetually failed.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: D
FEEDBACK: Skinner's experiences as an adult such as visiting a cathedral and taking care to avoid stepping on the gravestones set in the floor made it clear to him that his adult behaviors had been determined by the rewards and punishmentsthe reinforcementshe had received as a child. Thus, his system of psychology and his view of people as complex systems behaving in lawful ways clearly reflected his own early life experiences.