The Straight Dope: Whatever became of B. F. Skinner?

[Send questions for Cecil Adams: cecil@straightdope.com](mailto:cecil@straightdope.com) FOLLOW CECIL ADAMS ON [TWITTER]( AND [FACEBOOK](! [030815.gif] THREADSPOTTING: THE BEST OF THE STRAIGHT DOPE MESSAGE BOARD — 08/09/2019 Nuthin' like old school. Really old school. Jesus in the third grade old school. Old. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #1 — 08/15/2003 Dear Cecil: Your recent column on [Marshall McLuhan]( was terrific, and it led me to wonder about another darling of the 60s, in the field of psychology: Whatever became of B.F. Skinner? I recall all the fun we had torturing rats in "Skinner boxes" and thinking that we were all just messes of "operant conditioning." Like your previous questioner about McLuhan, I haven't followed the field since, so how is Skinner regarded today? PS: Unabashed suck-up: When I discovered the Straight Dope last year, I had to go out and get copies. — Greg Durand, Phoenix, Oregon Cecil replies: Your letter is a good example of operant conditioning: (a) Suck up to columnist; (b) columnist answers your question. Next level: (c) Accompany letter with modest donation via PayPal; (d) see columnist answer your question really fast. The best part is, you think you’re conditioning me. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE STAFF REPORT — 06/10/2003 Dear Straight Dope: I have heard some of the crazy stories about the Roman emperor Caligula, his horse, and everything. I haven't seen the movie, unfortunately, but the stories circulate pretty well just by word of mouth. Anyway, recently I heard that, for the most part, this is all nonsense. I was wondering what is true about Gaius Caligula, and where these nutty stories came from. — Kyle, Wilmette, IL SDStaff bibliophage replies: For years I’ve been hearing bizarre stories about the 1979 movie Caligula starring Malcolm McDowell, so when this question came in, I finally let curiosity get the best of me. Watching porn so you don’t have to is just part of our commitment to customer service. Sometimes, though, this attitude takes us above and beyond the call of duty [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #2 — 02/07/1992 Dear Cecil: The label of almost any food package today will tell you the calorie content. But how are calories determined? Is it very technical? — Steven Weinstein, Brooklyn, New York Cecil replies: Oh, sure, you’ve got your beakers and test tubes and stuff like that. But when you get right down to it, they measure calories in food the old-fashioned way — they burn it. [Click here]( for more. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [View this message as a webpage](. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. To advertise on The Straight Dope, contact Rich Hummel at rhummel@suntimes.com [Privacy Policy/Terms of Use]( • [Unsubscribe]( © 2019 Straight Dope, LLC. 30 N Racine Ave. Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60607