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CorporalRook1619
Study guide for ” Science and Human Behavior “, Skinner, 1953 …
Study guide for “Science and Human Behavior”, Skinner, 1953
Unit 5, Ch 19-21, Items 163-192.
SECTION IV: THE BEHAVIOR OF PEOPLE IN GROUPS
IX SOCIAL BEHAVIOR (p 297)
How does Skinner define social behavior?
“Social behavior arises because one organism is _____________ to another as part of its environment.” (p 298)
Does Skinner view socially-mediated behavioral interactions as a separate domain from the natural sciences? Explain.
What are some of the ways that behavior reinforced via social mediation may differ from behavior reinforced through a mechanical environment?
How does Skinner define a social episode and how do we provide an account of it?
Why might social contingencies prove less stable over time than “apparently comparable contingencies in inanimate nature.” (p 301)
Give an example of how subtle social stimuli may occur to make two people believe that they have a special “connection” or “understanding” that people without scientific training or skepticism might be tempted to explain by non-physical or metaphysical “causes”.
How does Skinner suggest simplifying an analysis of a “social episode”?
How might coordinated responding between two birds be established?
Describe the contingencies involved in the coordinated responding of two individuals with proper learning histories in which person A emits a request and person B responds appropriately.
Identify an example in which a reciprocal interchange between two individuals exemplifies an interlocking social contingency that illustrates an enduring cultural practice.
Give an example of how the “Golden Rule” specifies a social contingency that is sometimes observed by members of our culture.
Explain what is meant by the oft-stated “mutual back scratch” contingency.
When is competition likely to arise? Give an example. (p 311)
Explain, from a behavioral perspective, what needs to happen to induce most people to engage in a concerted group effort related to the overall welfare of the culture, e.g., paying into the Affordable Healthcare Act (i.e., “Obama care”) or mitigating global warming by “decreasing their ‘carbon footprint’ ” ?
XX PERSONAL CONTROL (p 313)
Does an organism that has learned how to respond in a way that reliably brings it into contact with reinforcement necessarily have awareness of its behavior? Explain.
So if organism A has learned to control the behavior of organism B, does A “know” or “understand” what the cause and effect of its behavior is? Explain.
In techniques of personal control, “limitations in personal control” have resulted in a “standard practice”; what is that standard practice? (p 314)
What is the principle process for prolonging contact used by those with weak sources of initial control?
What methods are available to (and often used) by those with the necessary power? What are some of the shortcomings of such approaches? What is the likely result of using such methods in the “long run”?
Skinner identifies nine strategies used by individuals to control the behavior of others (with varying degrees of effectiveness) (p 316-320). List and provide an example of each.
Skinner argues that we should be interested in the procedures and techniques of the control of behavior despite the inherent conditioned aversive self-stimulation resulting from efforts to control and despite the aversive stimuli arising from countercontrol efforts of well-intentioned individuals. Explain his concern.
“Those who are most concerned with restricting personal control have the most to gain from a clear understanding of the techniques employed” (p 322). Explain.
XXI GROUP CONTROL (p 323)
What is Skinner’s view of the effect of two or more individuals working in concert to control the behavior of a third person?
What is Skinner’s definition of the “controlling group”?
What are the generic classifications (or labels) of individual behavior used by members of the group with respect to control of the person’s behavior by the group? What are the two most conspicuous forms of control used by the group corresponding to those generic labels?
Although group control can be great, what likely leads to limits that prevent the group from exerting or achieving its maximum degree of control?
What sorts of ethical questions does this topic raise for most of us or, more specifically, for you personally? What is Skinner’s reply to such concerns?
Your opinion here: Should the criterion for successful deployment of a behavior analytically managed society be “that greatest good for the greatest number”, “happiness” of members of the culture, or the “survival of the culture”? Explain.
Your opinion here: Would you prefer the culture you currently find yourself in or can you imagine a “designed culture” that would be better than the one we currently have? Explain.
