Biography

The early years

B.F. Skinner was born on March 20, 1904 in Susquehanna, a small railroad town located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Skinner wrote three volumes of autobiography during his later years, and much of what we know of his earliest years comes from his own recollection.

Skinner was the older of two children and was brought up in a home with "rigid standards" enforced by his mother Grace Burrhus. Like most children in the early 20th century, Skinner and his younger brother Edward (called "Ebbie") grew up in an atmosphere where a strict code of conduct was followed. Grace clearly attempted to pass this strong social code to Skinner (called Fred), by expressing disapproval when he wavered from the expected norm. Skinner seemed to be especially receptive to praise from his parents, though it was apparently not...