Charles Bohris Ferster (1 November 1922 – 3 February 1981) was an American behavioral psychologist. A pioneer of
applied behavior analysis
Applied behavior analysis (ABA), also referred to as behavioral engineering, is a behavior modification system based on the principles of respondent and operant conditioning. ABA is the applied form of behavior analysis; the other two are: ...
, he developed
errorless learning and was a colleague of
B.F. Skinner's at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, co-authoring the book ''Schedules of Reinforcement'' (1957).
Career
Ferster received his bachelor's degree at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
in 1947 followed by his Master's in 1948 and Ph.D. in 1958 from
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. He then worked as a colleague with
B. F. Skinner at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, where they established the ''
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior'' in 1958. While at Harvard, he devised errorless learning to train animals, and used other forms of what was then termed behavior modification for clients with
depression and
obesity
Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess Adipose tissue, body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classifi ...
. While serving as an assistant professor of psychology at
Indiana University School of Medicine
The Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) is a major, multi-campus medical school located throughout the US state, U.S. state of Indiana and is both the Medical school, undergraduate and Graduate medical education, graduate medical school o ...
from 1957 to 1962, Ferster employed errorless learning to instruct young autistic children how to speak.
[
]
Ferster's research also influenced the work of other pioneers of behavioral research, such as
Donald M. Baer and
Sidney Bijou, who together founded the ''
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
The ''Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis'' (JABA) is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal which publishes empirical research related to applied behavior analysis. It was established in 1968 and is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of ...
'' at the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...
. Another well-known researcher was
Ivar Lovaas, who applied Ferster's procedures to autistic children at the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
(UCLA) and developed early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI), or 8 hours per day of what he called, "
discrete trial training
Discrete trial training (DTT) is a technique used by practitioners of applied behavior analysis (ABA) that was developed by Ole Ivar Lovaas, Ivar Lovaas at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). DTT uses mass instruction and reinforcem ...
" (DTT).
Early childhood and family life
Ferster was born November 1, 1922, in
Freehold, New Jersey, the second son of Julius Ferster (1894-1969) and Mollie Ferster née Madwin (1895-1966), both Jewish immigrants from Poland (The Russian Empire, 1910 and 1912, respectively).
He was married to Marilyn Ferster, with whom he had four children—Bill, Andrea, Sam and Warren. He later married Elyce Zenoff Ferster, a professor of law at
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
,
Ferster died of a heart attack on February 3, 1981, at the age of 58 in Washington, D.C.
Timeline
Education
*1940–1943
Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
(New Brunswick, NJ)
*1943–1946 Military Service
*1946–1947 Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ) (B.S, 1947)
*1947–1950
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
(New York, NY) (M.A., 1948; Ph.D., 1950)
Post-doctoral professional affiliations
*1950–1955
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
(Cambridge, MA) Research Fellow under B.F. Skinner
*1955–1957
Yerkes Laboratory (
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County and extends into neighboring DeKalb County. With a population of 520,070 (2024 estimate) living within the city limits, At ...
at
Emory University
Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...
)(Chimpanzee work)
*1957–1962
Indiana University Medical Center (Indianapolis, IN) (work with autistic children; collaboration with Nurnberger & Brady)
*1958 - First Executive Editor,
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (JEAB); See ''Founding of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior''
*1962–1963 Executive Director,
Institute for Behavioral Research (Silver Spring, MD)
*1963–1965 Associate Director, Institute for Behavioral Research (Silver Spring, MD)
*1965–1968 Senior Research Associate, Institute for Behavioral Research (Silver Spring, MD)
*1967–1968 Professor of Psychology,
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
(Washington, DC)
*1969–1981 Professor of Psychology,
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...
(Washington, DC) (department chair, 1970–1973)
Professional life
''
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior''
Laboratory work
Application of the theory
* Linwood Project
* Individualized Instruction at Georgetown, American Universities
* The University Learning Center at
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...
: this represented a radical experiment in undergraduate, interdisciplinary education in which the principles of operant behavior were directly applied. The center itself—an open, free-flowing physical space on campus—was conceived of as the "chamber" in which instruction and learning occurred. The environment adhered in obvious ways to such cornerstone concepts as immediate positive reinforcement, successive approximation, schedules of reinforcement, discriminative stimuli and the like. Professors of Psychology, Physics, Anthropology, Psychiatry, Sociology, Philosophy, Mathematics staffed the Learning Center, as did many graduate students in these fields.
Social and professional network
Following is a partial list of professional colleagues and friends of Charles Ferster; those interested in behaviorism, operant conditioning, and human behavior more generally may be interested in these people and their work:
Margaret J. Rioch,
David McK. Rioch, John L. Cameron, James Dinsmoor,
Douglas G. Anger, James E. Anliker, Donald S. Blough,
Richard J. Herrnstein, Alfredo V. Lagmay, William H. Morse,
Nathan H. Azrin,
Ogden R. Lindsley, Lewis R. Gollub,
Matthew L. Israel, Harlan L. Lane, George S. Reynolds,
A. Charles Catania,
Herbert S. Terrace, Neil J. Peterson.
William N. Schoenfeld
Written works
Books
*''Schedules of Reinforcement'', with
B.F. Skinner, 1957
.
*''An Introduction to the Science of Human Behavior'', with Nurnberger, J. I. & Brady, J. P., 1963
*''Behavior Principles'', with Mary Carol Perott, 1968; (Second Edition 1981, with Stuart A. Culbertson)
Articles
*''Arbitrary and Natural Reinforcement'' 1967, ''The Psychological Record'', 22, 1-16
*''An Experimental Analysis of Clinical Phenomena'' 1972, ''The Psychological Record'', 22, 1-16
'citation incorrect''*''Clinical Reinforcement'' 1972, ''Seminars in Psychiatry'', 4(2), 110-111
*''A Laboratory Model of Psychotherapy'' 1979, In P. Sjoden (Ed), ''Trends in Behavior Therapy.'' New York, Academic Press
*''Psychotherapy from the standpoint of a behaviorist'', 1972, In J.D. Keehn (Ed.), ''Psychopathology in Animals: research and clinical implications.'' New York, Academic Press
*''The Autistic Child''
*''Positive Reinforcement and Behavioral Deficits of Autistic Children'', Child Development 1961, 32:437-456
*''The use of the free operant in the analysis of behavior'', 1953
Psychological Bulletin
The ''Psychological Bulletin'' is a monthly Peer review, peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes evaluative and integrative research Literature review, reviews and interpretations of issues in psychology, including both qualitative (narrative ...
, 50, 263–274.
*''The Development of Performances in Autistic Children in an Automatically Controlled Environment'', Charles B. Ferster, Marian K. DeMyer, Journal of Chronic Diseases 1961 Apr; 13:312-4
*''A functional analysis of depression'', American Psychologist 1973, 857–870.
* ''The control of eating,'' In J. P. Foreyt (Ed.), ''Behavioral treatments of obesity'' (pp. 309–326). Oxford: Pergamon Press. Ferster, C. B., Nurnberger, J. I. & Levitt, E. E. (1977).
References
*
Fred S. Keller, ''Charles Bohris Ferster (1922–1981), An Appreciation'',
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 1981, 36, 299-301
*
B.F. Skinner, ''Charles B. Ferster—A personal memoir'',
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 1981, 35, 259-261
Citations
External links
Article by B.F. SkinnerJEAB's First Editorial Board
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferster, Charles
1922 births
1981 deaths
20th-century American psychologists
Behaviourist psychologists
American educational psychologists
Rutgers University alumni
Columbia University alumni
People from Monmouth County, New Jersey
Harvard Fellows
Georgetown University faculty