Applied animal psychology at an American roadside attraction: animal behavior enterprises and the IQ Zoo of Hot Springs, Arkansas

Abstract

Keller and Marian Breland worked with B. F. Skinner on top-secret behavioral technology during World War II. They later applied that behavioral technology in postwar business ventures that included a roadside attraction called the IQ Zoo. It attracted motorists from across the United States and, like other roadside attractions of the period, was depicted in postcards available for purchase. While conducting research associated with the business, the Brelands discovered the phenomenon of instinctive drift, which significantly advanced subsequent theoretical accounts of the biological factors that influence learning.