Skinner box

noun

Skin·​ner box ˈski-nər-ˌbäks 

: a laboratory apparatus in which an animal is caged for experiments in operant conditioning and which typically contains a lever that must be pressed by the animal to gain reward or avoid punishment

Examples of Skinner box in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Our phones are full of Skinner boxes designed to draw us in and compel us to perform simple actions in search of random rewards. —Adam Clark Estes, Vox, 1 Aug. 2024

Amid this dangerous escalation, DeSantis has wanted it both ways: to be lauded for putting Florida in a Skinner box and calling it freedom and for the media to shy away from examining the ruinous results. —Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 2 Mar. 2023

Social media users have become rats in lab experiments, living in human Skinner boxes, glued to the screens of their smartphones, compelled to sacrifice more precious time and attention to platforms that profit from it at their expense. —IEEE Spectrum, 3 Jan. 2022

Word History

Etymology

B. F. Skinner

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

Skinner box

noun

Skin·​ner box ˈskin-ər-ˌbäks 

: a laboratory apparatus in which an animal is caged for experiments in operant conditioning and which typically contains a lever that must be pressed by the animal to gain reward or avoid punishment