European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 22, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday August 22. 1990 the stars and stripes a Pago 7b.f. Skinner Dies at 86 Cambridge mass up a . Skinner the behavioural psychologist whose controversial experiments with rats pigeons and babies a including his own infant daughter a attracted both Praise and loud criticism has died after a Long struggle with leukaemia Lois Hunter a spokeswoman at mount Auburn Hospital said Skinner who was 86, died at 2 45 . Saturday from a complications of  a Secretary was by his Side and his wife eve also was at the Hospital Hunter said. Skinners death at mount Auburn Hospital came just eight Days after he had received an award from the american psychological association and presented what he called a final defense of his controversial theories. A a. Skinner spent the last years of his life trying to improve his image. A Many people regard me As some cold taskmaster who wants to manipulate everybody a the longtime Harvard University professor once said. A i have worked toward behaviour modification for the general welfare All my life. But now in a getting old and in a a Little concerned about my  during a psychologists convention in Washington in August 1982, Skinner said aging men and women can Best Cope with their intellectual decline by relaxing the brain. He suggested giving up such hobbies As working complicated crossword puzzles and playing chess. Instead he recommended Reading mystery novels and watching situation comedies on television. At the psychologists convention in Anaheim calif., in 1983 Skinner blamed an inflexible school system for what he called Quot the shame of american  a i claim that the school system of any Large american City could be so redesigned at Little or no additional Cost that students would come to school and apply themselves to their work with a minimum of coercion and. Learn to read with reasonable ease express themselves Well in speech and writing and solve a fair Range of mathematical problems a Skinner said. Skinners theories held that human behaviour is controlled by environment and that people act because of the a contingencies of reinforcement that bring about More of one kind of behaviour and reduce another kind. His dream was that a person can control himself and the environment. His principles of conditioning first applied to rats and pigeons Are now commonly used to help people psychology a the kind of behaviourism 1 practice. Pm attacking cognitive psychology. That a the usual  he argued that human behaviour is a byproduct of the environment that organisms Are capable of Little or no a free will but rather react to rewards and punishments. In keeping with his behavioural theories Skinner Analysed his past and tried to make changes in his life through organization and management. He kept rigid i # it . Skinner Deal with problems such As phobias drug addiction and smoking. Besides his scientific experiments Skinner was a prolific author who wrote Short stories and poetry published Many books on psychology and compiled a set of lengthy memoirs. On aug. 10, Skinner was presented with a lifetime contribution citation from the american psychological association. At the presentation ceremony Skinner delivered a retrospective on his theories and their future and told the gathering a pm very optimistic for certain kinds of personal habits that involved planning most of his Days. Bom in Susquehanna pa., on March 20, 1904, Skinner was the son of a striving lawyer whose family worked hard to better itself. His Mother was a strict woman who lived Liy the ten commandments and showed concern for proper behaviour. After graduating from Hamilton College in Clinton. N.y., in 1926, Skinner received his a a. And  from Harvard in 1931. In 1936, he joined the psychology department at the University of Minnesota where to remained for nine years. During 1942-43, to conducted War research for american food giant general Mills inc. For two years before joining the Harvard faculty in 1947, he was chairman of the psychology department at Indiana University. Skinner started experimenting with rats Early in his career. During world War ii he took part in the air forces proposed Quot project Pigeon Quot that was designed to train pigeons to guide missiles. The project never got off the ground. A devoted family Man Skinner married live Blue an English major at the University of Chicago in 1936, their daughter Julie was born in 1938, and another daughter Deborah arrived in 1944. It was perhaps skinners experiments with Deborah a so called baby Box Quot that brought the professor into the National spotlight. The Box was a crib sized climatically controlled living space with a Large picture window designed to simulate a natural environment for the child. The baby wearing Only a diaper remained in the Box most of the time but was handled at feedings and playtime. Skinner claimed the child was Happy healthy and Well adjusted. Skinners baby Box created a storm of controversy among parents across the country who considered it cold and heartless. The psychologists plan to Market baby boxes under the name of heir conditioner ultimately fell through Deborah went on to become a Well known artist in the United states and  Only confirmed what families had feared by the Washington Post Washington a to the families of the 3,000 americans trapped in Kuwait and Iraq president Bush a declaration monday that their relatives were hostages confirmed what Many had Long feared and added to their own sense of helplessness. Quot this whole time we be known they re hostages a said Connie Ogle daughter in Law of Rainard Walterscheid a Texas Oil worker taken from Kuwait to Baghdad in the first Days of the invasion. A now we done to know what a going on if he seating if he a  As with Many others Bush a declaration left Ogle with mixed emotions. Quot i done to really know if its done anything for the americans a she said. Quot i done to think its helping them. It might Hurt them if we go to  Patricia Hale of Spring Texas whose husband Edward was a drilling supervisor near the Iraq Border said she Felt paralysed by the sense of powerlessness. A i just find myself waiting a she said. A a in a to the Point of not wanting to think of anything political. I just want my husband  while upset Hale like other family members interviewed said she cannot fault Bush a handling of the persian Gulf crisis. A until i can Tell him How to do better i done to want to second guess him a she said. State department spokesman Richard a. Boucher sought to reassure the families that the presidents statement did not Lessen the governments concern for their relatives. A we say to them that we will continue to do everything we can to obtain the release of these people a he said Quot. We say that there Are Many other foreigners who Are in the same boat and that we re working together with other countries to secure their  . Officials also sought to assure the families that the stated policy of not dealing with any group that holds american hostages would not preclude the United states from moving on various diplomatic fronts to pressure the iraqis into freeing the americans. A your policy continues to be to press for what is right a said a government official. Aware of comparisons with the Carter presidency administration officials have sought to avoid inflaming United Stales Public opinion with reminders of the protracted iranian hostage situation 11 years ago. Officials fear that could erode Public support for any military operation the . Might take against iraqi president Saddam Hussein some administration officials however say the american people Are less Likely to demand precipitous action such As a Rescue Effort to free the hostages after a decade of kidnappings and terrorist demands. Rep. Let is Aspin d-wis., chairman of the House armed service committee cautioned the administration on sunday to not let its concerns about the americans dominate its deliberations. Quot there has go to be the right balance Between concern for the hostages but not letting our policy be driven by the the existence of hostages or paralysed by it a he said on Nhuc tvs a meet the  in contrast to the relatives of the 52 . Embassy officials seized in Tehran who were Able to mobilize wide support for their safety and held news conferences calling attention to their plight the relatives of the americans in Iraq and Kuwait have maintained a relatively Low profile. All of the iranian hostages were government employees highly educated professionals for the most part and their relatives had experience dealing with the Media. Thus far families who have talked to reporters have tended to be Blue Collar their husbands and sons Texas Oil workers lured to the Middle East by the High salaries they could earn  ones get Chance to Tell gis they miss them Chicago up a because a Small girl wanted to Tell her daddy she missed him hundreds of . Military men and women in saudi Arabia will get the Chance to hear messages from friends and family Back Home the satellite music network based in Mokena in Chicago a South suburbs gave listeners an Opportunity Over the weekend to Call in and record a message or request a song Lor loved ones in the military. About 10 of those greetings were then played on the air each hour. Dean Richards operation manager of the network said tapes of the entire weekends broadcasts will be aired by the american forces radio and television service when a transmitter now under construction is set up in saudi Arabia. It started last in Vijay when the girl whose lather is stationed in the Middle East called Richards during his program. Which is heard on More than 22 j affiliates across the country. A she did no to know where her daddy was and she just wanted to say hello she loses him and please come  Richards said a it was really  the network then decided to commit the whole weekend to taking messages and requests Lor the soldiers. A a it a working out really Well a Richards said. Quot Trie phone lines Haven to stopped ringing since Friday morning. People Are just calling up with these Naly emotional messages and you can hear their of juices  he said some of the messages have been from friends and family and others have come from people who just want the soldiers to blew somebody is thinking about them a probably the most requested song is a god bless the .a.�?T by Lee Green Wood a Richards said. A a we re also getting a lot of requests Lor a High Here waiting by Richard Marx and Wand beneath my w my so by Bette middler.�?�. Idle tapes of the weekends program i la will have to tie edited Belory being broadcast to the troops to remove any anti Arab Send Uriel or hoop locations he said most of 1 he messages though did no to exactly contain Mililay so. Rets a you hear the wives and the children a Richards said. A you can really fee the emotion the