What is behaviorism?

Behaviorism stems from an observation that the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov who was researching salivation in dogs in to response to food and a bell in the 1890s. The dogs would salivate in response to the food placed in front of them. The dogs would also salivate whenever they heard the footsteps of the assistant who was bringing the food

Pavlov concluded that any object or event -Stimulus- which the dogs learned to associate with food would trigger salivation –Response

He called their learned response classical conditioning.

Behaviorist view a person’s behavior is the result of extrinsic motivation and external stimuli.

Educators adhering to behaviorist learning theory are responsible for:

1. imposing positive responses and consequences to desired behaviors
2. imposing negative responses and consequences to undesirable behaviors
3. providing appropriate stimuli to learners

Think of this scenario:

Imagine being in a totally new cultural context from your own and without any prior knowledge of the language or culture and trying to learn the language used there. You will depend on observation and repeating orally what is said so as to get by or by carrying out an action in the way it is done in that cultural context e.g. preparing a typical local dish. You will repeat these actions until you are able pronounce the words and eventually string simple phrases or until you can prepare a dish that resembles and almost tastes like the local dish! This is the observable behavior that shows that learning has occurred.

Reinforcement

Imagine now that you hear someone say words you heard before and already know how to react to e.g. exchanging greetings. If you can respond to the greeting, this feels good positive reinforcement. Your interlocutor may even smile back! This may be followed by a negative reinforcement in the case where your are not able respond to because your interlocutor thinks you can engage in a conversation so they carry on … but Alas! You cannot find your words!

If the dish you prepared resembles and tastes like the local typical dish, you will receive lots of cheering from your guests. If the dish does not turn out well, then the reaction from your guests maybe not be good-a negative reinforcement.

In the 1930s, B.F Skinner further developed Pavlov’s discovery and came up with the schedules of reinforcement. Skinner argued that ‘classical conditioning was too simplistic to be a complete explanation of complex human behavior’. For him the ‘best way to understand behavior was to look at the causes of an action and its consequences’. According to Skinner, ‘behavior that is followed by pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated, and behavior followed by unpleasant consequences is less likely to be repeated’.

(McLeod, 2018)

Summary

Behaviorist theory is an automatic/reflexive type of learning that occurs through associations between environmental and natural stimuli with the use of a neutral signal before the latter. It now constitutes one of the two most notable forms of associative learning, i.e. making a new association between occurring events.

Behaviorist learning theory subscribes to the notion that there is only one correct answer/response to a given stimuli; thus, behaviorism is a learning theory most appropriate for teaching lower-order thinking skills.

This theory is likely to be the most appropriate learning theory to teach facts and/or standard procedures.

‘In behavioristic terms, although nobody wants to call it like this today, feedback is the simplest form of conditioning’.                (Keramida, 2015)

In a course implementing behaviorism, feedback to learners is important.

Pros:

‘…behaviorist methods have proven to be successful in teaching structured material such as facts and formulae, scientific concepts, and foreign language vocabulary…’

(“Behaviorism | GSI Teaching & Resource Center”, 2020)

Cons:

This method of learning helps does not consider the ‘mental processes involved or the learning environment in which learning takes place. (Keramida, 2015)

The individual internal state of mind and emotion is downplayed yet it is very present and also contributes to learning.

‘…while behaviorist methods have proven to be successful in teaching structured material such as facts and formulae, scientific concepts, and foreign language vocabulary, their efficacy in teaching comprehension, composition, and analytical abilities is questionable’.

(“Behaviorism | GSI Teaching & Resource Center”, 2020)

References:

Behaviorism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). (2000). Retrieved 14 May 2020, from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/behaviorism/

Behaviorism | GSI Teaching & Resource Center. (2020). Retrieved 12 May 2020, from https://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/learning-theory-research/behaviorism/

Course | LDT100x | edX. (2020). Retrieved 14 May 2020, from https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:USMx+LDT100x+2T2020

Keramida, M. (2015). Behaviorism In Instructional Design For eLearning: When And How To Use – eLearning Industry. Retrieved 12 May 2020, from https://elearningindustry.com/behaviorism-in-instructional-design-for-elearning-when-and-how-to-use

McLeod, S. (2018). Retrieved 14 May 2020, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.htm