Who wrote the book The Behavior of Organisms?

Concept: In behaviourism, a work can be identified by linking the theorist to the learning mechanism and publications associated with that theorist. Operant conditioning explains how the consequences of an action change the likelihood of that action recurring.

Application: B. F. Skinner wrote The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis. The book presented his experimental analysis of behaviour and the principles that became central to operant conditioning.

Contrast: The other theorists are associated with different works or learning principles:

• Clark L. Hull is associated with drive-reduction theory and wrote Principles of Behavior.

• Ivan Pavlov is associated with classical conditioning based on conditioned reflexes.

• Edward L. Thorndike formulated the law of effect and wrote Animal Intelligence.

Cross-check: Matching the exact title and its experimental-analysis framework identifies B. F. Skinner as the author.