March 20, 2013 B.F Skinner, a leading 20th century psychologist
who hypothesized that behavior was caused only by external
factors, not by thoughts or emotions, was a controversial figure
in a field that tends to attract controversial figures. In a
realm of science that has given us Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and
Jean Piaget, Skinner stands out by sheer quirkiness. After all,
he is the scientist who trained rats to pull levers and push
buttons and taught pigeons to read and play ping-pong. Besides
Freud, Skinner is arguably the most famous psychologist of the
20th century. Today, his work is basic study in introductory
psychology classes across the country. But what drives a man to
teach his children’s cats to play piano and instruct his beagle
on how to play hide and seek? Last year, Norwegian researchers
dove into his past to figure it out. The team combed through
biographies, archival material and interviews with those who
knew him, then tested Skinner on a common personality scale.
They found Skinner, who w