B. F.

Skinner was born March 20, 1904 He died August 18, 1990

Early Years: B.F. Skinner described his Pennsylvania childhood as "warm and stable." As a boy, he enjoyed building and inventing things; a skill he would later use in his own psychological experiments. He received a B.A. in English literature in 1926 from Hamilton College, and spent some time as a struggling writer before discovering the writings of Watson and Pavlov. Inspired by these works, Skinner decided to abandon his career as a novelist and entered the psychology graduate program at Harvard University. Skinner married Yvonne Blue in 1936, and the couple went on to have two daughters, Julie and Deborah. Career: In 1945, Skinner moved to Bloomington, Indiana and became Psychology Department Chair and the University of Indiana. In 1948, he joined the psychology department at Harvard University where he remained for the rest of his life. He became one of the leaders ofbehaviorism and his work contributed immensely to experimental psychology. He also invented the 'Skinner box,' in which a rat learns to obtain food by pressing a lever. Awards:

1966 Edward Lee Thorndike Award, American Psychological Association 1968 - National Medal of Science from President Lyndon B. Johnson 1971 - Gold Medal of the American Psychological Foundation 1972 - Human of the Year Award 1990 - Citation for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology