Final answer:
B. F. Skinner is associated with behaviorism and is likely conducting a controlled experimental study or randomized controlled trial to investigate the treatment for depression.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about a research method that B. F. Skinner is likely to be conducting. B. F. Skinner is most closely associated with behaviorism and his research on operant conditioning. When Skinner screens participants for strict diagnostic criteria and assigns them to a treatment or control group, he is likely conducting a controlled experimental study. Such a study is designed to systematically investigate the effect of an intervention or treatment (in this case, possibly related to depression) by comparing outcomes between the treatment group and the control group.
Skinner's experiments typically involved placing animals in an operant conditioning chamber, termed a "Skinner box", where animals could perform certain actions, like pressing a lever, to receive rewards. Although Skinner's work was primarily with animals, the principles derived from operant conditioning have been applied to human behavior as well. In this particular instance, however, the question pertains to the methodology of a study, which suggests that Skinner is using a randomized controlled trial, a hallmark of rigorous scientific investigation, to scrutinize the effects of a potential treatment for depression.