Skinner box
noun
Skin·ner box
ˈski-nər-ˌbäks 
: a laboratory apparatus in which an animal is caged for experiments in operant conditioning and which typically contains a lever that must be pressed by the animal to gain reward or avoid punishment
Examples of Skinner box in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Our phones are full of Skinner boxes designed to draw us in and compel us to perform simple actions in search of random rewards.
—
Adam Clark Estes, Vox, 1 Aug. 2024
Amid this dangerous escalation, DeSantis has wanted it both ways: to be lauded for putting Florida in a Skinner box and calling it freedom and for the media to shy away from examining the ruinous results.
—Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 2 Mar. 2023
Social media users have become rats in lab experiments, living in human Skinner boxes, glued to the screens of their smartphones, compelled to sacrifice more precious time and attention to platforms that profit from it at their expense.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Jan. 2022
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adam Clark Estes, Vox, 1 Aug. 2024
Amid this dangerous escalation, DeSantis has wanted it both ways: to be lauded for putting Florida in a Skinner box and calling it freedom and for the media to shy away from examining the ruinous results.
—Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 2 Mar. 2023
Social media users have become rats in lab experiments, living in human Skinner boxes, glued to the screens of their smartphones, compelled to sacrifice more precious time and attention to platforms that profit from it at their expense.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Jan. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Skinner box.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Skinner%20box. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
Skinner box
noun
Skin·ner box
ˈskin-ər-ˌbäks
: a laboratory apparatus in which an animal is caged for experiments in operant conditioning and which typically contains a lever that must be pressed by the animal to gain reward or avoid punishment
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share