Behavior of Organisms

by B.F. Skinner

no missing pages, no tares, no writings, no loose pages. no water damage. clean and tight binding

Genres: Psychology, Science, Nonfiction, Classics

457 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

Burrhus Frederic Skinner was a highly influential American psychologist, author, inventor, advocate for social reform and poet. He was the Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from 1958 until his retirement in 1974. He invented the operant conditioning chamber, innovated his own philosophy of science called Radical Behaviorism, and founded his own school of experimental research psychology—the experimental analysis of behavior. His analysis of human behavior culminated in his work Verbal Behavior, which has recently seen enormous increase in interest experimentally and in applied settings. He discovered and advanced the rate of response as a dependent variable in psychological research. He invented the cumulative recorder to measure rate of responding as part of his highly influential work on schedules of reinforcement. In a recent survey, Skinner was listed as the most influential psychologist of the 20th century. He was a prolific author, publishing 21 books and 180 articles.

Reviews

[Scott]

This may be the most important book in the development of modern behavioral thinking in psychology of the last century. In it, Skinner, begins to lay out the work of behavioral psychology for the next 50 years. We are still examining its philosophical implications and as yet we have left unsolved the problems of mind, consciousness, free will, and the good life.

[Madhur Bhargava]

Classic on behavioral psychology. It is less of a book and more of a detailed logbook of experiments. It would have helped if some of the unnecessary details such as the VERY detailed description of the construction of the Skinner box could have been limited to a few pages rather than dedicating an entire chapter to it.

[Robert Matte]

This isn’t casual reading — it’s a cornerstone of behavioral psychology. Skinner lays out his ideas with precision, building a framework that shaped how we understand learning and behavior.

If you’re interested in psychology or the science of behavior, this is essential. It’s dense, yes, but incredibly rewarding if you engage with it.

[Siddharth]

Loved reading this book. not everyone would get it though.

[Karen]

Very good primer on the study of behavior.

[Victor]

Masterfully written, but the vast majority of observations and data is outdated, and reading it before being familiar with Behaviorism can be quite misleading.