Abstract
B. F. Skinner’s first public exposition of his analysis of verbal behavior was the Hefferline Notes (1947a), a written summary of a course Skinner taught at Columbia University during the summer of 1947 just prior to his presentation of the William James Lectures at Harvard University in the fall. The Notes are significant because they display Skinner’s analysis as it made the transition from spoken to written form; moreover, they are an effective supplemental source of examples and early approximations for comprehending Skinner’s functional verbal operants.
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I thank Jocelyn K. Wilk, public service archivist, of Columbia University for identifying the location and description of Skinner’s course. I am indebted to Dorothy Hefferline who, several decades ago, along with Fred Keller, provided a biographical sketch of Ralph Hefferline as well as an original set of the Hefferline Notes.
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Knapp, T.J. The Hefferline Notes: B. F. Skinner’s First Public Exposition of His Analysis of Verbal Behavior. Analysis Verbal Behav 25, 99–107 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03393074
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03393074