Opening Skinner’s Box: Great Psychological Experiments of the Twentieth Century

Opening Skinner’s Box defies genre: It is part subjective anecdotes by Lauren Slater, part objective reporting of facts and historical details about psychology. How does the book’s style contribute to the core themes in the book?

In the Introduction, Slater writes: “Surgeons are, this very moment, mining our crenulated brains. We are conditioned, revealed, freed, and accountable. Someone shouts in order. We do or do not obey. Now, turn the page” (5). Unpack this quote—how does it contribute to the book’s message about psychology’s philosophical truths? Discuss the tone of this passage and the way in which it directly addresses the reader.

What is the significance of Professor Jerome Kagan leaping under his desk to demonstrate free will? Does this satisfactorily refute Skinner’s findings around conditioning? Discuss why or why not.