Acceptance and Diffusion of Skinner Boxes in Japan During WWII and in the Early Postwar Years

Abstract

The present research investigated circumstances under which Skinner boxes were shipped to occupied Japan and the subsequent impact of Skinner boxes on the development of instrumentation for behavioral research in Japan. After World War II, Japan was under Allied occupation from 1945 to 1952. During that time, the Science Council of Japan and the Ministry of Education applied for funding to import scientific equipment from the United States (US). As a result of negotiations, the General Headquarters (GHQ) permitted export of scientific equipment from the US to occupied Japan. In 1949, GHQ allocated Economic Rehabilitation in Occupied Area (EROA) program funds to purchase a Skinner box, and the Japanese Ministry of Education allocated matching funds as well. The first procedure in the process of importing two types of Skinner boxes, one for rats and one for pigeons, was to check their purchase cost against the 1949 budget of the Japanese Ministry of Education for imported machinery. The unit price listed in the application for 1950 was US$500; however, the actual amount paid was US$716. Although the exact arrival date in Japan of the Skinner boxes remains unclear, they were shipped from Harvard University in 1951. The original Skinner box for rats was used at Tokyo University until 1957. The original Skinner box for pigeons was used with modifications at Keio University until 1958. The Japanese manufacturer, Takei Kiki Kogyo Co., Ltd., built prototype experimental boxes in 1953, modeled on the original boxes. The company manufactured various models for pigeons, called the “Takei Skinner box” until the 1970s. The original Skinner box design was used in Japan for only a short period of time. However, the design was widely used as a reference model for developing additional instrumentation for behavioral research during the postwar period.