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Thirty Points About Motivation From Skinner’s Book Verbal Behavior

  • Special Section on Motivating Operations and Verbal Behavior
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Abstract

Skinner discussed the topic of motivation in every chapter of the book Verbal Behavior (1957), usually with his preferred terminology of “deprivation, satiation, and aversive stimulation.” In the current paper, direct quotations are used to systematically take the reader through 30 separate points made by Skinner in Verbal Behavior that collectively provide a comprehensive analysis of his position regarding the role of motivation in behavior analysis. In addition, various refinements and extensions of Skinner’s analysis by Jack Michael and colleagues (Laraway, Snycerski, Michael, & Poling, 2003; Michael, 1982, 1988, 1993, 2000, 2004, 2007) are incorporated, along with suggestions for research and applications for several of the points.

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  1. Sundberg and Associates, 4425-C Treat Blvd.#210, Concord, CA, 94521, USA

    Mark L. Sundberg

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  1. Mark L. Sundberg
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Correspondence to Mark L. Sundberg.

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This paper is dedicated to Jack Michael on the 20th anniversary of his 1993 paper titled “Establishing Operations” published in The Behavior Analyst.

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Sundberg, M.L. Thirty Points About Motivation From Skinner’s Book Verbal Behavior. Analysis Verbal Behav 29, 13–40 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03393120

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