DEFINITION:
BEHAVIORISM: is a theory of learning which states all behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment through a process called conditioning. Thus, behavior is simply a response to environmental stimuli.
IMPLICATIONS:Behaviorism as a learning theory would be best used in situations for establishing routine, practice, memorization and building up. This learning theory does not focus on past experience or the student as an individual but rather is focused on what is present now. During my Learning Theory course, I have created the following statement as an example on how this learning theory works:
PROS:
LIMITATIONS:
BEHAVIORISM IN INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN:When it comes to Instructional Design, this learning theory can show up a few different ways. A popular way this theory is applied is through branching scenarios. Since there is a predetermined end goal in mind, a branching scenario is a good way to use Behaviorism. This is because the teacher is reinforcing the student to go back and look at the questions thoroughly and reinforcing the knowledge through memorization and connections before proceeding to the next step. I could see Behaviorism working really well with Gamification by using badging/points systems and leaderboards. Overall, there is a time and place for Behaviorism even though as a learning theory it seems to get a lot of negative criticism. As for building basic skills and foundational work in instructional design I believe it is a great tool when it comes to developing basic skill sets though I would argue for more advanced skill sets other learning theories should be applied that take into consideration the specific needs of the students. |
Behaviorism as a learning theory would be best used in situations for establishing routine, practice, memorization and building up. This learning theory does not focus on past experience or the student as an individual but rather is focused on what is present now.
During my Learning Theory course, I have created the following statement as an example on how this learning theory works: EXAMPLE: A student attends a class weekly learning how to play the piano. The composition they are currently working on is a little more challenging than previous ones. The teacher has the student play only the notes on the bass clef (left hand side/lower pitch) at first as these are the simpler chords in this composition. Every time the student makes a mistake (stimulus), the teacher stops the student (negative reinforcement) and has them start over until they are able to complete the bass clef portion. Once completed successfully, the learner is allowed (positive reinforcement) to start the treble clef (right hand side/higher pitch) portion which is slightly more complicated. The teacher applies the same practice, every time the student makes a mistake (stimulus) they must start at the beginning (negative reinforcement) of the treble clef composition. After a few tries, the student will start from the beginning without the teacher's promptings just by recognizing that they made a mistake. This results in operant conditioning where the students behavior is shaped through reinforcements or punishments. The student can recognize when to restart the practice based on any mistakes made without the continuous promptings of the teacher. Observable Behavior: 1) Practice 2)Mistake/Succeed = 3) Repeat (negative) or Proceed (positive) Stimulus: Missed key/mistake Response: Restart As you can see by the example, Behaviorist learning theory works well when building up skills. By reinforcing a foundation and establishing a routine path for growth/learning, the result is the student is able to play the song. Likewise, using positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement can help bring order to a classroom or be used to promote teacher involvement. |
Timeline for behaviorism 1893 - 1905
1893
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1905
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1913
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1920
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While studying the digestive processes of dogs, physiologist physiologist, Pavlov noticed that the dogs would salivate when a human came into the room. This occurred because the dogs began to associate the presence of a human with the meat he used for the digestion experiment. Soon Pavlov introduced a bell into their feedings and they began to salivate upon hearing the bell whether food was present or not. The experiment showed that a previously neutral stimulus could become a conditioned stimulus that provoked a conditioned response. The phenomenon became known as classical conditioning. |
Thorndike’s law of effect theory states that if a situation ends in a good consequence/ response , if repeated, the person will then do the exact same things to continue eliciting the same response. Although if a situation occurred and the consequence/ response was a bad one, if repeated, the person would try multiple things until the response given is a positive one.
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Watson established the behavioral school of psychology and published an article titled "Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It" also known as the "Behaviorist Manifesto" in which the major features of behaviorism were outlined. |
The Little Albert Experiment helped psychologist to discover the effects of classical conditioning on emotional responses. Psychologist Watson and Rayner used a nine moth old baby they named Albert B and introduced him to numerous animals. The child showed no fear of these animals at first. After a few attempts of Watson and Rayner making loud unpleasant noises after the child sees the animals, the child then began to scream and cry as soon as he saw the many different animals because he associated the animals to the loud scary noise that would follow. |
TIMELINE FOR BEHAVIORISM 1943-1958
1943
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1948
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1958
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TIMELINE FOR BEHAVIORISM 1963-1971
1963
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1971
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Related Definitions
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Classical Conditioning
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Unconditioned Stimulus
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Conditioned Stimulus
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Operant Conditioning
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Here is a composed list of relative definitions for:
- CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
- UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS
- CONDITIONED STIMULUS
- OPERANT CONDITIONING
- CLASSICAL CONDITIONING: is a learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired: a response which is at first elicited by the second stimulus is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone.
- UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS: (UCS) is one that unconditionally, naturally, and automatically triggers a response. In other words, the response takes place without any prior learning.
- CONDITIONED STIMULUS: is a previously neutral stimulus that, after becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus, eventually comes to trigger a conditioned response.
- OPERANT CONDITIONING: is a type of associative learning process through which the strength of a behavior is modified by reinforcement or punishment.
References:
1. ) Western Governors University, A. U. (2021, March 23). What Is The Behavioral Learning Theory?
Western Governors University. https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-behavioral-learning-theory2005.html.
2. ) Cherry, K. (2020, May 1). See How an Unconditioned Stimulus Can Create a Learned Response. Verywell Mind.
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-an-unconditioned-stimulus-2796006.Mcleod, S. (2018). What Is Operant
3. ) Conditioning and How Does It Work?Operant Conditioning (B.F. Skinner) | Simply Psychology.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html.
4. ) (M.Ed.), M. K. (2020, May 14). Behaviorism In Instructional Design For eLearning: When And How To Use It. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/behaviorism-in-instructional-design-for-elearning-when-and-how-to-use.
5. ) Timeline information was published with reusable license from Behaviorism Timeline. prezi.com. (n.d.).
www.https://prezi.com/pcck6m6sdcw0/behaviorism-timeline/
1. ) Western Governors University, A. U. (2021, March 23). What Is The Behavioral Learning Theory?
Western Governors University. https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-behavioral-learning-theory2005.html.
2. ) Cherry, K. (2020, May 1). See How an Unconditioned Stimulus Can Create a Learned Response. Verywell Mind.
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-an-unconditioned-stimulus-2796006.Mcleod, S. (2018). What Is Operant
3. ) Conditioning and How Does It Work?Operant Conditioning (B.F. Skinner) | Simply Psychology.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html.
4. ) (M.Ed.), M. K. (2020, May 14). Behaviorism In Instructional Design For eLearning: When And How To Use It. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/behaviorism-in-instructional-design-for-elearning-when-and-how-to-use.
5. ) Timeline information was published with reusable license from Behaviorism Timeline. prezi.com. (n.d.).
www.https://prezi.com/pcck6m6sdcw0/behaviorism-timeline/