Reflections on Verbal Behavior at 60

摘要

In the present essay, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the publication of B. F. Skinner’s Verbal Behavior, I stand by and defend the judgment I expressed in my article “The Long Goodbye: Why B. F. Skinner’s Verbal Behavior Is Alive and Well on the 50th Anniversary of Its Publication” (2008c)—that Skinner’s “interpretation of the behavior of the speaker, given the contingencies of reinforcement maintained by the community” (Skinner, , p. 11), is not only adequate but is also consistent with the principles of operant learning. To that I add some of my reflections on the book after having taught it for years and having written numerous articles extending Skinner’s analysis to related topics.