Burrhus Fredric Skinner was born on March 20, 1904, in Susquehanna, PA. Skinner's early life seems to have been representative of a typicalall-American, small town boyhood of an earlier time (Nye, 1992). Skinnermajored in English at Hamilton College. He received his undergraduate degree inthe Spring of 1926. It became obvious to Skinner that he had failed to becomethe kind of writer that he wanted to be. After beginning to consider Psychologyas the discipline he would pursue, he began to apply to graduate schools. Skinner was accepted to Harvard University for the Fall 1928.

In 1931, Skinner received his Ph.D. Some of Skinner's major publicationsareVerbal Behavior, Science and Human Behavior and Beyond Freedom and Dignity.

In 1936, B.F. Skinner married Yvonne Blue. The Skinners had 2 children. The second, Deborah, became the famous "baby in a box." This specialcrib consisted of an enclosed space witha glass front, through which the babycould watch what was going on around her. We can not confuse this with theSkinner Box which he used to pursue hisinterest in operant behavior.