Verbal Behavior: Extended Edition. Chapter 14: Composition and Its Effects. Quote 5

Post author:B. F. Skinner Foundation
Post published:October 8, 2025
Post category:Skinner's Quote of the Day

In general we are reinforced for complete sentences and punished for broken or fragmentary expressions, and variables strengthening only a few responses tend to evoke complete sentences through multiple causation. (p. 346)

All proceeds support the B. F. Skinner Foundation and enable us to continue our important work. Thank you to all of current and previous donors for helping us continue our mission of Better Behavioral Science for a More Humane World!

The newest addition to the Skinner for the 21st Century series, Upon Further Reflection: Extended Edition, is available in paperback! A PDF version of the book is also available.

An Online Edition of The Analysis of Behavior by Holland & Skinner is now available free of charge! Imagine being taught at Harvard by B. F. Skinner! In a sense, that is what this course provides. In collaboration with Behavior Development Solutions (BDS), the B. F. Skinner Foundation is glad to bring to the new generation this programmed instruction course, developed by Drs. Holland and Skinner, to teach basic terms and principles of behavior analysis. Originally designed for use in a mechanical teaching machine, early steps in the sequence prepare you for later, more advanced material. It takes the student through a carefully prepared sequence of steps and it brings textual responding under appropriate stimulus control. That is, rather than selecting a response, the learner types it (just as one does under natural stimulus conditions). No other online course fully embodies the methodology developed by Skinner. In addition to the free version, students of behavioral analysis can sign up for a 4-part, 24 CEUs course.

SKINNER'S QUOTE OF THE DAY

You Might Also Like

Cumulative Record. Chapter 25: Creating the Creative Artist. Quote 19

Verbal Behavior: Extended Edition. Chapter 12: The Autoclitic. Quote 32

Science and Human Behavior, Chapter 7: Operant Discrimination, Quote 20