Charles Bohris Ferster

(November 1, 1922- February 3, 1981)

Primary Areas of Study

Experimental Analysis of Behavior

Schedules of Reinforcement

Autism (Indiana University Medical Center)

Educational Reform

Academic Timeline

1947-1950 -- Columbia University, received Ph.D. 

1950-1955 -- Harvard University, research fellow under B. F. Skinner

1955-1957 -- Yerkes Laboratory, Research work with chimpanzees

1957-1962 -- Indiana University Medical Center

1958-1961 -- First editor of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 

1962-1968 -- Institute for Behavioral Research

1967-1968 -- Georgetown University, Professor of Psychology

1968-1981 -- American University, Professor of Psychology

Links

Selected Papers

Ferster, C. B. (1953). Sustained behavior under delayed reinforcement, Journal of Experimental Psychology, 45(4), 218-224. 

Ferster, C. B. (1953). The use of the free operant in the analysis of behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 50(4) 263-274. 

Ferster, C. B. (1961). Positive Reinforcement and Behavioral Deficits of Autistic Children. Child Development, 32, 437-456. 

Ferster, C. B. (1961). The development of performances in autistic children in an automatically controlled environment. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 13, 312-45. (available online here)

Ferster, C. B. (1962). A method for the experimental analysis of the behavior of autistic children. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 32, 89-98. 

Ferster, C. B. (1970). "Schedules of reinforcement with Skinner" in Festschrift for B. F. Skinner. P. B. Dews (Ed.). New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. 

Ferster, C. B. (1973). A Functional Analysis of Depression. American Psychologist, 28(10), 857-70. (available online here)

Keller, F. S. (1981). Charles Bohris Fester (1922-1981), An Appreciation. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 36, 299-301. (available online here)

Skinner, B. F. (1981). Charles B. Ferster- A personal memoir. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 35(3), 259-261. (available online here) 

Selected Books

Ferster, C. B. & Skinner, B. F. (1957). Schedules of reinforcement. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. 

Nurnberger, J. I., Ferster, C. B., & Brady, J. P. (1963). An introduction to the science of human behavior. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. 

Ferster, C. B. & Perrott, M. C. (1968). Behavior principles. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. 

Media

Students

Intellectual Ancestry

B. F. Skinner

Additional Information

Fester was very interested in the design of apparatus and data measurement. During his years at Harvard, he helped B.F. Skinner make several important changes and improvements to the cumulative record and operant chamber. See Skinner (1981), referenced above, for more information.

Although he had a busy and prolific academic career, Ferster "also found the time for an absorbing love affair with motorcycles and with the plays of Shakespeare" (Keller, 1981). 

Ferster died at the age of 58, in Washington D.C.

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Photo source: Wikimedia Commons. 

Used in permission under the Creative Commons License.