ABSTRACT
B. F. Skinner described a very different approach to the scientific study of behavior. It was pragmatic not dogmatic. He 1) asked questions instead of stated hypotheses; 2) studied the changes in the behavior of the individual, not the average of a group of individuals; 3) used sensitive and accurate measures of behavior change such as the response rate; 4) systematically changed one independent variable at a time, while holding constant all others, with the goal of discovering orderly processes of behavior change; 5) looked for practically significant changes in an individual’s behavior that were functionally related to changes in environmental variables, relying on a standard graphic display to evaluate whether the changes in behavior were practically significant; and 6) repeated his experiment with the same and then different subjects to assess the generality of the processes he discovered. Skinner’s pragmatic approach has been extremely fruitful, leading to more effective and efficient explanations and procedures for helping clients make useful changes in their behavior. Now it’s time to apply his pragmatic approach to practice-based research, so that our clients can more efficiently achieve their behavior change goals.
