Roger Barker
Encyclopedia
Roger Garlock Barker was a social scientist
, a founder of environmental psychology
and a leading figure in the field for decades, perhaps best known for his development of the concept of behavior settings
.
Barker earned his PhD
from Stanford University
and spent two years studying with Kurt Lewin
. In the 1940s Barker and his associate Herbert Wright from the University of Kansas
in Lawrence
set up the Midwest Psychological Field Station station in the nearby town of Oskaloosa, Kansas
, a town of fewer than 2000 people. Barker's team gathered empirical data in Oskaloosa from 1947 through 1972, consistently disguising the town as 'Midwest, Kansas' for publications like "One Boy's Day" (1952) and "Midwest and Its Children" (1955). Based on this data, Barker first developed the concept of the behavior setting to help explain the interplay between the individual and the immediate environment.
Possibly one of the most valuable developments of Barker's work was the examination of the way in which the number and variety of behavior settings remains remarkably constant even as institutions increased in size.This was explored in his seminal work with Paul Gump published as Barker, R. and Gump, P. (1964) Big School Small School Stanford: Stanford University Press [ Available at http://books.google.com/books ]. They showed that large schools had a similar number of behavior settings to small schools. The consequence of this is that students could take many different roles in small schools (e.g. be in the school band and the school football team) but in larger schools there was a tendency to select more highly. This thus was one of the first really insightful explanation of why organisations tend to be less satisfying for their members as they increase in size.
Dr. Barker died at his home in Oskaloosa, Kansas in September of 1990. He was survived by his wife, Louise Shedd Barker, with whom he collaborated on much of his research.
Social Scientist
Social Scientist is a New Delhi based journal in social sciences and humanities published since 1972....
, a founder of environmental psychology
Environmental psychology
Environmental psychology is an interdisciplinary field focused on the interplay between humans and their surroundings. The field defines the term environment broadly, encompassing natural environments, social settings, built environments, learning environments, and informational environments...
and a leading figure in the field for decades, perhaps best known for his development of the concept of behavior settings
Behavior settings
Behavior settings are theorized entities that help explain the relationship between individuals and the environment - particularly the social environment. This topic is typically indexed under the larger rubric of 'Ecological Psychology'...
.
Barker earned his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and spent two years studying with Kurt Lewin
Kurt Lewin
Kurt Zadek Lewin was a German-American psychologist, known as one of the modern pioneers of social, organizational, and applied psychology....
. In the 1940s Barker and his associate Herbert Wright from the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in Lawrence
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
set up the Midwest Psychological Field Station station in the nearby town of Oskaloosa, Kansas
Oskaloosa, Kansas
Oskaloosa is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,113. Oskaloosa is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, a town of fewer than 2000 people. Barker's team gathered empirical data in Oskaloosa from 1947 through 1972, consistently disguising the town as 'Midwest, Kansas' for publications like "One Boy's Day" (1952) and "Midwest and Its Children" (1955). Based on this data, Barker first developed the concept of the behavior setting to help explain the interplay between the individual and the immediate environment.
Possibly one of the most valuable developments of Barker's work was the examination of the way in which the number and variety of behavior settings remains remarkably constant even as institutions increased in size.This was explored in his seminal work with Paul Gump published as Barker, R. and Gump, P. (1964) Big School Small School Stanford: Stanford University Press [ Available at http://books.google.com/books ]. They showed that large schools had a similar number of behavior settings to small schools. The consequence of this is that students could take many different roles in small schools (e.g. be in the school band and the school football team) but in larger schools there was a tendency to select more highly. This thus was one of the first really insightful explanation of why organisations tend to be less satisfying for their members as they increase in size.
Dr. Barker died at his home in Oskaloosa, Kansas in September of 1990. He was survived by his wife, Louise Shedd Barker, with whom he collaborated on much of his research.