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Related Experiment Videos

The Harvard Pigeon Lab under Herrnstein.

William M Baum1

  • 1University of California-Davis, USA. wmbaum@ucdavis.edu

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|June 27, 2002
PubMed
Summary

The Harvard Pigeon Lab saw two productive periods under Skinner and Herrnstein, driven by graduate student collaboration. Productivity declined as leaders withdrew, and the lab ultimately ended due to the cognitive revolution.

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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral psychology
  • History of science

Background:

  • The Harvard Pigeon Lab experienced two distinct eras of high productivity, first under B.F. Skinner and later under Richard J. Herrnstein.
  • Each period was characterized by an influx of graduate students who fostered a collaborative and stimulating research environment.

Discussion:

  • Productivity waned in both periods as the respective leaders lost interest and disengaged from the laboratory.
  • The lab's eventual demise was influenced by the broader shift in scientific focus towards the cognitive revolution, moving away from behaviorism.

Key Insights:

  • Skinner's group established a natural science of behavior using concepts like response rate and schedules of reinforcement.
  • Herrnstein's group advanced the quantitative aspects of behavioral science, introducing the matching law and psychophysics of choice.

Outlook:

  • The history of the Harvard Pigeon Lab offers a unique case study for examining the dynamics of self-organizing research groups and their influence on scientific progress.
  • Further research could explore the long-term impact of such group structures on scientific innovation and the evolution of scientific paradigms.

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