Akera Atsushi
Department of Science and Technology Studies, Sage 5206, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180.
J Hist Behav Sci. 2017 Sep;53(4):364-382. doi: 10.1002/jhbs.21871. Epub 2017 Sep 12.
This article traces the shifting epistemic commitments of Fred S. Keller and his behaviorist colleagues during their application of Skinnerian radical behaviorism to higher education pedagogy. Building on prior work by Alexandra Rutherford and her focus on the successive adaptation of Skinnerian behaviorism during its successive applications, this study utilizes sociologist of science Karin Knorr Cetina's concept of epistemic cultures to more precisely trace the changes in the epistemic commitments of a group of radical behaviorists as they shifted their focus to applied behavioral analysis. The story revolves around a self-paced system of instruction known as the Personalized System of Instruction, or PSI, which utilized behaviorist principles to accelerate learning within the classroom. Unlike Skinner's entry into education, and his focus on educational technologies, Keller developed a mastery-based approach to instruction that utilized generalized reinforcers to cultivate higher-order learning behaviors. As it happens, the story also unfolds across a rather fantastic political terrain: PSI originated in the context of Brazilian revolutionary history, but circulated widely in the U.S. amidst Cold War concerns about an engineering manpower(sic) crisis. This study also presents us with an opportunity to test Knorr Cetina's conjecture about the possible use of a focus on epistemic cultures in addressing a classic problem in the sociology of science, namely unpacking the relationship between knowledge and its social context. Ultimately, however, this study complements another historical case study in applied behavioral analysis, where a difference in outcome helps to lay out the range of possible shifts in the epistemic commitments of radical behaviorists who entered different domains of application. The case study also has some practical implications for those creating distance learning environments today, which are briefly explored in the conclusion.
本文追溯了弗雷德·S·凯勒及其行为主义同事在将斯金纳的激进行为主义应用于高等教育教学法过程中不断变化的认知承诺。基于亚历山德拉·卢瑟福之前的研究以及她对斯金纳行为主义在连续应用过程中的相继适应的关注，本研究运用科学社会学家卡琳·克诺尔·塞蒂纳的认知文化概念，更精确地追溯了一群激进行为主义者在将重点转向应用行为分析时认知承诺的变化。故事围绕着一种名为个性化教学系统（PSI）的自主学习教学系统展开，该系统运用行为主义原则在课堂内加速学习。与斯金纳涉足教育领域并专注于教育技术不同，凯勒开发了一种基于掌握的教学方法，利用广义强化物来培养高阶学习行为。碰巧的是，这个故事也在一个相当奇妙的政治背景下展开：PSI起源于巴西革命历史背景，但在冷战期间美国对工程人力（原文如此）危机的担忧中广泛传播。本研究还为我们提供了一个机会，来检验克诺尔·塞蒂纳关于关注认知文化在解决科学社会学中一个经典问题（即剖析知识与其社会背景之间的关系）方面可能用途的推测。然而，最终这项研究补充了应用行为分析中的另一个历史案例研究，在该案例中结果的差异有助于梳理进入不同应用领域的激进行为主义者认知承诺可能发生的转变范围。该案例研究对当今创建远程学习环境的人也有一些实际启示，结论部分将简要探讨这些启示。
