B. F. Skinner

Skinner developed operant conditioning, a theory describing how behavior is shaped by its consequences through reinforcement (which increases a behavior) and punishment (which decreases it). He distinguished this from Pavlov's classical conditioning, arguing that most significant human and animal behavior is voluntary and shaped by environmental feedback.

The Skinner box, formally called an operant conditioning chamber, is an enclosed apparatus in which an animal such as a rat or pigeon can receive a food reward by pressing a lever or pecking a key. It allowed Skinner to precisely measure response rates and study how different schedules of reinforcement, such as variable-ratio rewards, produce characteristic patterns of behavior.

Skinner published 'Beyond Freedom and Dignity' in 1971, arguing that concepts like free will and individual autonomy are unscientific and that society should use behavioral engineering to solve its problems. The book provoked intense public debate and was both a bestseller and a lightning rod for criticism from humanists and philosophers.

Skinner designed an enclosed, temperature-controlled crib called the 'Air Crib' for his daughter Deborah, intended to keep the child warm and dry with minimal bedding. Rumors circulated for years that he had used it as a conditioning experiment or even raised his daughter in a conventional Skinner box, but these stories were distortions of what was essentially an improved crib design.