B.F. Skinner Foundation
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⏰ Tuesday Sneak Peek!
There's something wonderfully honest about this week's invention: even B.F. Skinner struggled with clock-watching. ⏰
While tracking his daily working hours with a small electric clock, he noticed himself glancing at it constantly — enough to pull him right out of focus. So he built the simplest possible fix: a small cardboard flap taped over the clock face, meant to be lifted rather than glanced at.
It's a tiny piece of behavioral engineering, applied to his own habits. Add friction to the distraction, and the distraction takes care of itself.
Food for thought next time your phone screen is calling your name. 📱
Want to see more? Check back every Tuesday this summer for another sneak peek — the full exhibit opens this fall!
🗂️ Explore the archives: https://bfskinner.netx.net/portals/archives/ /home
07/11/2026
Have a question for a behaviorist?
Ask a Skinnerian!
Curious about behavior, learning, culture, language,
ethics, or everyday human action—from a Skinnerian
perspective? This is your chance to ask.
🧠📚 Dr. Francesca Degli Espinosa, PhD, BCBA-D, will
respond to questions through a Skinnerian lens—and
your question may be featured in an upcoming issue of
Operants.
📩 Submit your question by:
• Emailing [email protected]
• Or sending it directly to us via messages
Big questions, small questions, practical questions,
conceptual questions—we welcome them all.
Let’s keep the behavioral conversations going!
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