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The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis
B. F. Skinner's first book, in which he proposes rate of responding as the basic datum of a science of behavior and lays out a research program to identify what behavior is a function of.
- Author and origin
- B. F. Skinner (United States)Original language: English. First published in 1938 (D. Appleton-Century, per Open Library). The B. F. Skinner Foundation reprinted it in 1991 and 1999 and sells it today.
- Genre and form
- Academic (Scholarly monograph)Foundational scholarly monographs, experimental treatises, and theoretical volumes written for researchers and students.
- Pairing and evidence
- Primary scholarshipA foundational academic book or treatise. Each profile states what was inspected and whether a research paper is paired.
- Sources inspected
- 1 text/abstract inspected, 1 metadata checked (of 2)1 with the primary text or archive/edition record checked, 0 with an indexed abstract read, 1 with bibliographic metadata checked, 0 not verified.
The work and edition history
The Behavior of Organisms was Skinner's first book and appeared in 1938. The edition history matters because the Skinner Foundation page read here describes its own reprints of 1991 and 1999. It does not describe the original volume, and a current copy may carry later front matter.
Psychological reading
The Foundation says Skinner launched a new science with the book, proposes rate as the basic datum, and describes a research program to identify the variables of which behavior is a function. Questions to bring: What does a science gain by treating observable behavior as its data and setting aside accounts of inner states? Why would a rate, how often a response occurs, be a useful thing to count? What would you need to show for results from controlled laboratory conditions to apply to everyday human learning?
Why it earns inclusion
A historical reading for the experimental analysis of behavior. Ask how proposing an observable unit and a measurement method differs from establishing what that method will later explain.
Academic pairing and claim scope
No journal article is paired. The record rests on a publisher page and a catalog record, and the book's own experiments were not read.
Limits and controversies
The premise comes from the Foundation's catalog page, which sells the reprint, and a library record. The text of the 1938 book was not read, so this record does not describe its experiments, apparatus or definitions, including how it distinguishes kinds of behavior. A book that proposes a method says nothing by itself about whether the method suits language, thought or social life.
Evidence behind the claims
The B. F. Skinner Foundation's page says the book was "Published originally in 1938. Reprinted by the B. F. Skinner Foundation, 1991 and 1999."
The Foundation's description says Skinner launched a new science with his first book, proposes rate as the basic datum, and describes a research program to identify the variables of which behavior is a function.
Open Library lists a 1938 edition from D. Appleton-Century Company with LCCN 38029912 and later editions from Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Authors and researchers
- B. F. Skinner. Psychologist; author of The Behavior of Organisms.
In the Psy101 course
- OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 6.3: Operant ConditioningChapter 6, Learning. Concept. Suggested conceptual background; a mention of this work in the section has not been verified.Connects to chapter coverage of operant conditioning, a field Skinner is associated with.
- OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 1.2: History of PsychologyChapter 1, Introduction to Psychology. Historical context. Suggested conceptual background; a mention of this work in the section has not been verified.Places the book in the history of behaviorism within psychology.
Educational reading guide only, not clinical diagnosis or treatment guidance. This course map indicates introductory curriculum relevance rather than clinical proof.See the full course map.
Sources and inspection
Of 2 cited sources, 1 had primary text or archive/edition records checked, 0 had an indexed abstract read, and 1 had bibliographic metadata checked (0 unverified). Literary works and memoirs are distinguished from empirical research studies.
- [1]Skinner, B. F. (n.d.). Behavior of organisms (1991 edition). B. F. Skinner Foundation. https://www.bfskinner.org/product/the-behavior-of-organisms/Publisher or bibliographic record. Work, edition, or catalog record.Bibliographic metadata or reference record checkedFoundation product page read on 2026-10-23: description, ISBN, format and printing history. The page does not state a page count or mention a 1966 preface.
- [2]Skinner, B. F. (1938). The behavior of organisms, an experimental analysis (open library work record). Open Library (Internet Archive). https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1725489WArchive or library record. Work, edition, or catalog record.Edition, title-page, or archive record checkedOpen Library search results read on 2026-10-23. catalog-level only. The Foundation's PDF of the book could not be read, so no text of the 1938 volume was inspected.