Skinner box

noun

, Psychology.

1. a box used in experiments in animal learning, especially in operant conditioning, equipped with a mechanism that automatically gives the animal food or other reward or permits escape, as by opening a door.

Skinner box

noun

1. a device for studying the learning behaviour of animals, esp rats and pigeons, consisting of a box in which the animal can move a lever to obtain a reward, such as a food pellet, or a punishment, such as an electric shock

Word History and Origins

Origin of Skinner box¹

First recorded in 1940–45; named after B. F. Skinner

Word History and Origins

Origin of Skinner box¹

C20: named after B. F. Skinner

Example Sentences

The Skinner box, as it became known, dispensed food pellets when rats pushed a designated lever.

From New York Times

Mr. Lignier built his own version of a Skinner box — a tall, transparent tower with an attached camera — and released two pet-store rats inside.

From New York Times

Indeed, social media has been described as “a Skinner Box for the modern human,” doling out periodic, unpredictable rewards — a like, a follow, a promising romantic match — that keep us glued to our phones.

From New York Times

Katie Hafner: You know what I like about this story is that it wasn't like a Skinner box.

From Scientific American

Take Instagram: Almost 70 percent of user postings can be explained by a reward-learning model in which likes are analogous to the food pellets that teach rats to pull a lever in a Skinner box.

From Washington Post