On The Skinner Box

How Gamified Life Conditions Us And How to Prevail

Behavior is shaped and maintained by its consequences. - BF Skinner

The Box

In the 1930s, psychologist B.F. Skinner created the operant conditioning chamber, now known simply as the Skinner Box. Inside it, a rat or pigeon could push a lever or peck a key to receive a reward—usually food—or avoid a punishment, like a mild shock. By manipulating stimuli and…