SPCE 609 Readings and Videos
Modules 1-3 fully solved 2025/2026
Selection by Consequences - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔all behavior on an individual, species, and
cultural levels can be attributed to selection by consequences--whether that be by
contingencies of reinforcement or survival
Ontogeny - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔The history of development of an individual organism during
its lifetime.
phylogeny - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Evolutionary history of a species
Skinner's Purpose of Science - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔the primary purpose of science is
prediction and control
Skinner's opposition to deductive methods - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Skinner obtained data first,
then derived general principles or functional relations between events.
Skinner's steps to constructing a theory - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔- decide on the basic data (the
events we seek to understand)
- collect data (functional relations, facts)
- inductively develop explanatory (theoretical concepts)
Skinner on intersubjective agreement - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔argued against it as the major
criterion for the acceptance of scientific knowledge
, Skinner's methodology - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔functional analysis, which relates
environmental independent variables to behavior dependent variables
the key point of Skinner's methodology - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔the connection among
experimental functional analysis, functional relations, and what he meant by controlling
variables
In Skinner's methodology, the independent variables of most interest are - CORRECT ANSWER
✔✔selective contingencies to which the organism was exposed before the occurrence of the
behavior
Skinner's determinism - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔behavior is determined, it is lawful
In Skinner's approach, determinism is fundamental for - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔-making human
behavior amenable to scientific understanding
- what Skinner viewed as the primary goal of science: prediction and control
Skinner's determinism assumption does not - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔imply any sort of
mechanistic determinism in which stimuli and responses are contiguous
Skinner's locus of behavioral control - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔the causes of behavior are
localized in the environment
Skinner's consequential causality - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔selection by consequences is the
primary causal mode by which environment determines outcomes in living systems
Skinner's materialism - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔dualism is false; the only world is a physical
world
Modules 1-3 fully solved 2025/2026
Selection by Consequences - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔all behavior on an individual, species, and
cultural levels can be attributed to selection by consequences--whether that be by
contingencies of reinforcement or survival
Ontogeny - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔The history of development of an individual organism during
its lifetime.
phylogeny - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Evolutionary history of a species
Skinner's Purpose of Science - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔the primary purpose of science is
prediction and control
Skinner's opposition to deductive methods - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Skinner obtained data first,
then derived general principles or functional relations between events.
Skinner's steps to constructing a theory - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔- decide on the basic data (the
events we seek to understand)
- collect data (functional relations, facts)
- inductively develop explanatory (theoretical concepts)
Skinner on intersubjective agreement - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔argued against it as the major
criterion for the acceptance of scientific knowledge
, Skinner's methodology - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔functional analysis, which relates
environmental independent variables to behavior dependent variables
the key point of Skinner's methodology - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔the connection among
experimental functional analysis, functional relations, and what he meant by controlling
variables
In Skinner's methodology, the independent variables of most interest are - CORRECT ANSWER
✔✔selective contingencies to which the organism was exposed before the occurrence of the
behavior
Skinner's determinism - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔behavior is determined, it is lawful
In Skinner's approach, determinism is fundamental for - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔-making human
behavior amenable to scientific understanding
- what Skinner viewed as the primary goal of science: prediction and control
Skinner's determinism assumption does not - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔imply any sort of
mechanistic determinism in which stimuli and responses are contiguous
Skinner's locus of behavioral control - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔the causes of behavior are
localized in the environment
Skinner's consequential causality - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔selection by consequences is the
primary causal mode by which environment determines outcomes in living systems
Skinner's materialism - CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔dualism is false; the only world is a physical
world
