ABSTRACT
Skinner is a behaviourist, and it is therefore important to know something of the general background and development of Behaviourism, which begins with cats in puzzle boxes and ends with men operating teaching machines. In the same way, in the process of observing human behaviour and analysing it, the scientist may have an effect upon it; but it is something that will take into account, and will further seek to control it. The term simply means that the behaviour operates upon the environment to generate consequences, and these consequences define the properties concerning which responses are terms "similar". Skinner believes very firmly that the conditions for learning which set up in laboratory, and used in experiments with animals, can also be applies to human beings in their verbal learning. Programmed learning will particularly useful in teaching basic material, which is repeats in the classroom year after year without change, and in a somewhat mechanical and repetitive way.
