Morris, E. K. & Smith, N. G. (2004).
On the origin and preservation of cumulative record in its struggle for life as a favored term.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 82, 357-373.
This paper offers a case study of the origins, emergence, and evolution of
the term cumulative record as the name for the means by which B. F. Skinner
brought his behavior under the control of his subject matter. Our methods
included on-line searches, reviews of Skinner’s publications, and journal
codings and counts. The results reveal that the term is not originally
attributable to Skinner, but emerged earlier in ordinary language and in
another discipline-education. It was not even original to Skinner in print
in his own science. Still, the term was once original to him, which
we address with additional analyses of his having originated and advanced
it. We conclude with a discussion the constraints of our methods, suggestions
for future research, and the variable appreciation of technology and
terminology in science studies.
Key words: B. F. Skinner, cumulative record, terminology, origin myth,
behavior analysis, technology