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The History of a Crackpot Idea

The History of a Crackpot Idea

Q Explain B.F. Skinner’s project of pigeons in a Pelican.

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B.F. Skinner's project of pigeons in a Pelican is a proposal to use live creatures to direct missiles of a research program named "Project Pigeon" during WWII and a peacetime continuance at the Naval Research Laboratory termed "ORCON," from the words "organic control" (Skinner, 1960). The problem was that before radar, pilots attempting to strike enemy ships flew so close that they were frequently shot down. Skinner, on the other hand, discovered that he could train pigeons to direct missiles.