B.F. Skinner's Nose Cone of a Pigeon-Guided Missile
date: label: date made
content: 1940s
name: label: maker
content: Skinner, B. F.
notes: label: Description
content: During World War II, the U.S. military needed to find accurate ways to guide missiles to their targets. University of Minnesota psychologist B. F. Skinner suggested that a missile nose cone be supplied with three compartments, each with a window. A pigeon would be placed in each section, and trained to peck on the window when the target appeared. If all three pigeons pecked, the weapon would be released. This prototype was never developed, but influenced later work on animal training.
label: Description
content: For a discussion of the instrument, see James Capshew, “Engineering Behavior: Project Pigeon, World War II, and the Conditioning of B. F. Skinner,” Technology and Culture, Vol. 34, No. 4, Special Issue: Biomedical and Behavioral Technology (Oct., 1993), pp. 835-857.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Birds
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
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content: Military
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content: Teaching Machines
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content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of B. F. Skinner
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1981.0997.02
label: accession number
content: 1981.0997
label: catalog number
content: 1981.0997.02
objectType: label: Object Name
content: psychological apparatus
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 64 cm x 57 cm x 58.5 cm; 25 3/16 in x 22 7/16 in x 23 1/16 in