Psychologist B.F. Skinner taught these pigeons to play ping-pong in 1950. Photo via Psychology Pictures. B.F Skinner, a leading 20th century psychologist who hypothesized that behavior was caused ...

Nose Cone from B.F. Skinner's Pigeon-Guided Missile, on display in "Science in American Life." Photo courtesy American History Museum It’s 1943, and America desperately needs a way to reliably ...

By late 1942, Skinner had requested OSRD funds for pigeon research twice, and twice had been rejected. A fellow researcher mentioned the work to executives at General Mills, and the company gave ...

At the beginning of Project Pigeon, B.F. Skinner bought 40 homing pigeons and 24 normal pigeons from a poultry store and encouraged them to peck at specific images.

Skinner concluded that the pigeons had come to display ‘superstitious behavior’. It was like the superstition of gamblers who believe they have a lucky hat. If the gambler wears the hat, they ...

The pigeons — Skinner had determined that they worked best as a trio — would be placed in the nose cone of a missile, which was dubbed the “Pelican.” ...

Pigeons playing Ping-Pong (B. F. Skinner Foundation) Today we think of pigeons as a nuisance. But next time you pass through the park, consider appreciating the birds instead of the statues they ...

Skinner then designed a nose cone for missiles that had three windows for the pigeon (or up to three pigeons in some tests) to look through. Via the flight control system and a metal piece on the ...

While Skinner's pigeon-guided missile system didn't make it to the battlefield, it remains a compelling tale of unconventional problem-solving and the spirit of scientific curiosity.