Chapter 1:
1. The application of science has contributed to problems that would lead some to wish it (science) away. In Skinner’s view, is this possible? Why or why not?
2. Skinner asserts that science, and the common view of science, has been tarnished. Explain his evidence for saying this.
3. Skinner is making the point that science can produce good things, but that humans have used science in nefarious ways. He says that now we should apply science to the study of human behavior. Why?
4. What will be the benefit of studying human behavior from a scientific point of view?
5. What are the essential components of science that are described by Skinner (there are two of them)?
6. Describe why Skinner believes that some people will resist the use of science to describe and predict human behavior.
7. In what way is the notion of free will in conflict with a scientific approach to human behavior? What human tendencies compete with a full acceptance of determinism?
8. Skinner contrasts the social sciences and the natural sciences and suggests that one of these more certainly assumes that events occur lawfully. Which one?
9. How does Skinner describe the current (at that time) practice of studying and learning about human behavior?
10. What is the traditional view of Western culture and how does that support or stand in opposition to a scientific study of human behavior?
Chapter 2:
1. Skinner writes that the “… characteristics of science are not restricted to any particular subject matter.” What is he saying here?
2. What does Skinner mean when he says that the products of science are not the same thing as science itself?
3. There seem to be three characteristics of science described by Skinner (intellectual honesty, skepticism, and search for order). Describe or define each, and give an example in your own words, and explain why each is important to science.
4. One of the characteristics of science is a rejection of authority and dealing with facts. Skinner wrote, “…the facts must stand and the expectations fall.” Why is this so important?
5. “…The value of remaining without an answer…” is related to the belief in skepticism– we do not jump to conclusions, we doubt findings that are based on dubious data, etc. What would you suspect the advantage of this characteristic, or trait, is?
6. Skinner talks about ‘control” of phenomena. What does he mean by this, and why is that a desired scientific outcome?
7. Does Skinner believe that we (before the writing of this book and the development of radical behaviorism and a natural science approach towards behavior) have developed theories and assumptions about why we do what we do that are based on careful data and analysis? Why or why not?
8. The passage on page 15 about a single behavioral event, biographies, and novels, are all examples of the first stage of science, which is “observation.” What does Skinner say about the importance of observation?
9. The second level of science is “prediction,” which Skinner discusses (not using that word) in the section about “uniformity.” He mentions “prediction” on page 16. What is the advantages of, or the importance of, prediction?
10. What does Skinner mean when he says that “behavior” is the focus of a scientific study, rather than something else? What is that something else? (14-16)
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