{"id":4194,"date":"2024-05-30T18:22:04","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T18:22:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essayguidance.com\/?p=4194"},"modified":"2024-05-30T18:25:54","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T18:25:54","slug":"behaviorism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/behaviorism\/","title":{"rendered":"Behaviorism in Education: Definition, Pros and Cons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\" open><summary>\u27a1\ufe0f Video Lesson<\/summary>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Behaviorism in Education (Explained in 4 Minutes)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OLpsVp7d34c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a1\ufe0f Study Card<\/summary>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"724\" src=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/behaviorism-in-psychology-1024x724.jpg\" alt=\"behaviorism in psychology examples and definition\" class=\"wp-image-24467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/behaviorism-in-psychology-1024x724.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/behaviorism-in-psychology-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/behaviorism-in-psychology-768x543.jpg 768w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/behaviorism-in-psychology.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"one\">Behaviorism in Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-179.png\" alt=\"teacher giving student a gold star\" class=\"wp-image-37911\" style=\"width:365px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-179.png 1024w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-179-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-179-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-179-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-179-70x70.png 70w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Behaviorism is a theory of learning that believes learning occurs through teachers\u2019 rewards and punishments that lead to changes in behavior (Duchesne et al., 2014; Blaise, 2011; Pritchard, 2013).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Behaviorism is defined in the following ways by scholarly sources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Duchesne et al. (2014, p. 160)<\/strong> state that behaviorism is a theory that \u201cviews learning as a \u2018cause and effect\u2019 mechanism, in which external factors lead to a response, and over time, this response becomes a learnt behavior.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Blaise (2011, p. 112)<\/strong> states that the core feature of behaviorism is that \u201clearning is conditioned by external events or factors.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pritchard (2013, p. 7)<\/strong> states that behaviorism \u201cis a theory of learning focusing on <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/observable-behavior-examples\/\">observable behaviors<\/a> and discounting any mental activity. Learning is defined simply as the <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/acquisition-psychology\/\">acquisition of new behavior<\/a>.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><strong>These are five key concepts in behaviorism:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4  1. Learning Must be Observable<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">learning must be Observable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For Behaviorists, learning is only considered to occur when we can observe it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Behaviorists want to <em>see<\/em> a change in behavior. That\u2019s the whole goal of the behaviorist theory!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What does this mean about, say, if you watch a YouTube video and learn a new way to tie a know? Well, behaviorists don\u2019t care \u2026 yet. They don\u2019t really believe you\u2019ve learned anything yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They only really believe that you have learnt to tie a knot once you show them a knot that you tied!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, in order to <em>prove<\/em> learning has occurred, behaviorists want to <em>see it<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 2. The Cause and Effect (Stimulus and Response) Rule<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Cause and Effect (Stimulus and Response) Rule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Behaviorists believe that we can be \u2018trained\u2019 into changing our behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yep, just like a dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we provide a \u2018stimulus\u2019, we expect a certain response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If someone comes up behind you and pinches your back, you bet you will respond angrily! The pinch was the \u2018stimulus\u2019 and the angry response was the \u2018response\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s look at a few examples of <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/cause-and-effect-examples\/\" title=\"cause and effect\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">cause and effect<\/a> in action:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I get yelled at for making a mess (stimulus), so I don\u2019t make a mess next time (response).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I get a treat for cleaning my room (stimulus), so I clean my room more often (response).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 3. Rewards and Punishments produce Desirable Outcomes<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rewards and Punishments produce Desirable Outcomes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Rewards and punishments can be used to change behavior <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/respondent-conditioning-examples\/\">in a process called respondent conditioning<\/a>. This is really simple and relates to my point above:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If you praise someone for a certain behavior, they\u2019re more likely to repeat that behavior;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you yell at someone for a certain behavior, they\u2019re less likely to repeat that behavior.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why behaviorst theorists in schools are very likely to come up with clear rules and rewards. A behaviorist might encourage behaviors by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Giving a treat (food is powerful because it&#8217;s considered a <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/primary-reinforcer-examples\/\">primary reinforcer<\/a>);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Giving praise;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Giving an early mark to lunch;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Letting a student choose where to sit;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Letting a student choose the next activity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But, behaviorists are also likely to have rules that punish some behaviors to discourage them for being repeated. These are things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Giving a detention;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Using the cane (back in the day!);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Taking away play time;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Making you sit in the corner for 5 minutes;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sending you to the principal\u2019s office<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 4. The Blank Slate (Tabula Rasa)<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The blank slate (Tabula Rasa)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Behaviorists think anyone can learn anything. All they need is the <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/positive-punishment-examples\/\">right rewards and punishments<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, Behaviorists think a lot like Aristotle and John Locke. They think children are born blank slates: no knowledge in their minds!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The way people learn, then, is through their experiences. The experiences people have (the rewards and punishments they get through life) will shape how they behave.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 5. Classical vs Operant Conditioning<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Classical vs Operant Conditioning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/classical-conditioning-examples\/\">Classical conditioning<\/a> is associated with the theorists Pavlov and Watson. They are discussed lower down in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Classical conditioning is a type of behaviorism that is concerned with involuntary responses to stimuli. It&#8217;s also known as <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/associative-learning-examples\/\">associative learning<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, we often have involuntary fears and phobias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m <em>really <\/em>scared of bears. When I see a bear when hiking my heart begins to race really, really fast and I get anxiety. I can\u2019t help it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many children are scared of the dark. They can\u2019t help it. It\u2019s a phobia they have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we\u2019re focusing on increasing or decreasing involuntary reactions to stimuli, we\u2019re talking about classical conditioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Operant conditioning is associated with the theorists Thorndike and Skinner. They are discussed lower down in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Operant conditioning is a <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/types-of-behaviors\/\">type of behaviorism<\/a> that is concerned with voluntary response to stimuli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, my dog <em>voluntarily<\/em> chases the stick when I throw it because he knows he\u2019ll get a reward for doing it. He made the choice to chase the stick, so it\u2019s operant conditioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/operant-conditioning-examples\/\">example of operant conditioning<\/a> is when we punish a child with 5 minutes in the time out corner. We are trying to teach the child to <em>voluntarily<\/em> change their behavior by making better choices in the future <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/avoidance-learning\/\">to avoid a punishment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"two\">Sub-Branch 1: Classical Conditioning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pavlov-and-his-dog.jpg\" alt=\"pavlov and his dog\" class=\"wp-image-37869\" style=\"width:365px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pavlov-and-his-dog.jpg 900w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pavlov-and-his-dog-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pavlov-and-his-dog-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pavlov-and-his-dog-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/pavlov-and-his-dog-70x70.jpg 70w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Classical conditioning is the behaviorist idea that animals and people can learn to react to a stimulus by reflex based upon prior experiences.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some scholarly definitions of classical conditioning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Punjabi (2018, p. 160)<\/strong> argues that classical conditioning taps into \u201cthe range of relatively permanent and unlearned reflexes that nearly all members of a species possess.\u201d Then, she goes on to state that \u201cwhere the learning, or conditioning, comes in is when another neutral stimulus is introduced in just the right way\u201d so that our natural reflexes now kick-in when the new neutral stimulus is shown to the learner.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Levine and Munsch (2014, p. 34)<\/strong> explain that classical conditioning is \u201cthe process by which a stimulus (the unconditioned stimulus) that naturally evokes a certain response (the unconditioned response) is paired repeatedly with the neutral stimulus. Eventually the neutral stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus and evokes the same response.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><strong>Here are 11 key ideas in classical conditioning:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 1. Pavlov&#8217;s Dog<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) and his Dog<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) is a Russian psychologist who is a very important behaviorist theorist you need to know about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pavlov is the father of classical conditioning through his <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/pavlovian-response\/\">discovery of the Pavlovian response<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pavlov observed a dog\u2019s learning to show how learning happens. Pavlov was observing that a dog salivates when it is being fed food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, his big breakthrough came when he noticed that the dog would salivate simply when the assistant who regularly fed the dog entered the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what did he deduce from this? He found that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The assistant (stimulus) caused salivation (response).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The dog had <em>learned to do something<\/em> based upon a stimulus (the assistant entering the room). There was cause and effect!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pavlov didn\u2019t stop there. Next, he rung a bell every time the dog was about to eat to see whether the bell would also cause the dog to salivate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Soon enough, Pavlov could ring the bell any time he wanted and the dog would salivate immediately. Pavlov didn\u2019t even need to have food to give to the dog. The bell alone started causing the salivation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, let\u2019s zoom in a little on some of Pavlov\u2019s important terms in the next few points!<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 2. The Neutral Stimulus<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Neutral Stimulus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pavlov invented <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/neutral-stimulus-example\/\">the term \u2018neutral stimulus\u2019<\/a> to explain something that doesn\u2019t cause a response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Ivan Pavlov (see above) first rang the bell to train his dog to react to the bell, nothing happened. The dog didn\u2019t know what the bell meant!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a learner does not associate the stimulus (the bell) with anything, it\u2019s not really going to achieve anything!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you salivate whenever a bell rings? No \u2013 of course not! You haven\u2019t learnt that \u2018trick\u2019 yet. And neither did the dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At this stage, the bell is considered a <em>neutral stimulus<\/em> because it doesn\u2019t cause an effect.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 3. The Unconditioned Stimulus<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a \u2018Neutral Stimulus\u2019?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pavlov invented <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/neutral-stimulus-example\/\">the term \u2018neutral stimulus\u2019<\/a> to explain something that doesn\u2019t cause a response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Ivan Pavlov (see above) first rang the bell to train his dog to react to the bell, nothing happened. The dog didn\u2019t know what the bell meant!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a learner does not associate the stimulus (the bell) with anything, it\u2019s not really going to achieve anything!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you salivate whenever a bell rings? No \u2013 of course not! You haven\u2019t learnt that \u2018trick\u2019 yet. And neither did the dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At this stage, the bell is considered a <em>neutral stimulus<\/em> because it doesn\u2019t cause an effect.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 4. The Conditioned Stimulus<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Conditioned Stimulus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/conditioned-stimulus-examples\/\">Conditioned Stimulus<\/a>\u2019 and \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/conditioned-response-examples\/\">Conditioned Response<\/a>\u2019 are two more key words in behaviorism invented by Ivan Pavlov (see Point 4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pavlov would ring a bell just before he fed his dog food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a while, the dog began to associate the bell with food. Soon, the dog would start salivating <em>even if he didn\u2019t eat the food!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because the dog learnt that the bell meant \u2018food\u2019 (and didn\u2019t naturally just know it already), we call the bell a \u2018conditioned stimulus\u2019 and the food to be a \u2018conditioned response\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A clear parallel examples is that school children associate a bell with break time. The bell doesn\u2019t naturally mean \u2018break time\u2019, we\u2019ve just come to teach people that that\u2019s what it\u2019s for! So, the bell is again a <em>conditioned stimulus<\/em> and packing up our books is a <em>conditioned response<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 5. Contiguity<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"F12\">Contiguity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is an important term and I really like when I see my students using it in their assignments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s because students usually don\u2019t use the term \u2018contiguity\u2019! I\u2019m impressed when I see a student use this term because I know they\u2019ve done some deep research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What I\u2019m saying is: if you\u2019re a university student writing a paper about behaviorism in education, <em>use this term in your assessment<\/em> <em>to <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/impress-your-professor\/\">impress your professor<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what is contiguity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u2018Contiguity\u2019 is the term we use to explain the associations we develop between two things.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>When an association has developed between a bell and food, we have achieved contiguity. You could also say it like: \u2018contiguity has occurred!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"2\">\n<li>\u2018Contiguity\u2019 also assumes that only one of those two things have to occur in the future for the others to be remembered.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>In Pavlov\u2019s example, the dog now salivates when the bell rings even if the food hasn\u2019t been served!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some other examples of contiguity include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When we memorize the alphabet, we say \u2018a-b-c\u2019 and we automatically expect people to respond \u2018d-e-f\u2019<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When we memorize the times tables, we automatically know the answer to \u201c2 x 2\u201d or \u201c8 x 8\u201d without actually doing the sums. We\u2019ve practiced enough to have been <em>conditioned<\/em> into responding with the right answer. Contiguity has occurred!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 6. Stimulus Discrimination<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stimulus Discrimination<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pavlov used the term \u2018discrimination\u2019 to explain how he can teach his dog even more tricks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We already know Pavlov taught his do to associate the sound of a bell (actually, it was a tuning fork) with food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But next, Pavlov changed the pitch of the bell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Guess what\u2019s crazy? He could teach the dog to only associate <em>one pitch<\/em> with food!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we can learn to associate one version of a stimulus (in this case, the pitch of the bell) with a response, but not other versions of the stimulus (like a different pitch), we have achieved discrimination!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clearly, this is a very clever dog!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I remember at school three bells meant \u2018lunch time\u2019 but a constantly ringing bell meant \u2018fire evacuation!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, my classmates an I learnt to discriminate between different bells and knew that different bells required a different response.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 7. Generalization<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Generalization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Generalization is the exact opposite of discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Discrimination means we can differentiate between different types of the same stimulus and respond differently for each type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Generalization means that we simply respond the same way to all types of the same stimulus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, generalization would have happened if the dog associated any pitch of the bell with food, no matter what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s some other examples in real life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Once I got bitten by a British Shorthair cat (stimulus). I then got scared of the cat (response). But, I also <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/generalization-psychology-examples\/\">generalized my fear<\/a> of cats so now I\u2019m scared of all breeds of cats, not just British Shorthair cats!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Once an old lady robbed me on the subway. Now, I\u2019m scared of all old ladies!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 8. Extinction<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Extinction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When we forget the relationship between a stimulus and a response, we call it \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/extinction-examples-psychology\/\">psychological extinction<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Extinction would have occurred with Pavlov\u2019s dog if he trained the dog to no longer associate the bell with food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He could do this by ringing the bell and not giving the dog food. If he did this over and over again the dog would eventually no longer salivate because he would stop expecting food.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 9. John Watson<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">John Watson&#8217;s Little Albert Experiment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though Pavlov was the forefather of behaviorism, it was actually John Watson (1879-1958) who invented the term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Pavlov came up with some of the concepts of behaviorism in animals, John Watson was the one to apply these same ideas to humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember, Pavlov was interested in \u2018classical conditioning\u2019 which is concerned with increasing and decreasing involuntary behaviors like salivating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watson was also interested in classical conditioning. He was interested in increasing and decreasing phobias like fear of animals in children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watson\u2019s experiments on children\u2019s phobias were quite unethical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watson did two major experiments that you need to know about. We call these experiments the \u2018Little Albert\u2019 experiment and the \u2018Little Peter\u2019 experiment.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 10. The Little Albert Experiment<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Little Albert Experiment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Watson taught a child named <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/psychology-experiments-and-case-studies\/#9_Little_Albert\">Little Albert<\/a> to become afraid of a white rabbit. He induced fear in a child \u2013 how mean!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Initially, the 11-month-old boy was not afraid of the rabbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Watson would place the rabbit in front of the child then sneak up behind the child and bang a hammer against a steal bar to scare Albert! He did this over and over and over again until Albert associated the rabbit with the loud scary noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m sure you know what happened next. Albert became scared of the rabbit even when Watson didn\u2019t hit the bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m sure you remember what that\u2019s called: Contiguity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Something else happened, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Albert suddenly became scared of cotton wool, Santa\u2019s beard and even Watson\u2019s white hair!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you remember what this was called?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Generalization!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watson had shown Pavlov\u2019s theory worked not only with animals, but humans, too!<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 11. The Little Peter Experiment (Systematic Desensitization)<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Little Peter Experiment (Systematic Desensitization)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Little Peter was the opposite of Little Albert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Little Peter was <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/sensitization-psychology-examples\/\">already sensitized<\/a> to a rat, exhibiting strong fear of it. So, Watson decided he\u2019d get rid of Little Peter\u2019s fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watson decided that he would place a rabbit in a cage near Little Peter whenever he ate lunch. First, the rabbit was placed at the opposite end of the room to Little Peter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each lunch time, the rabbit was placed closer and closer to Little Peter until one day, Little Peter was able to eat lunch with the rabbit sitting on his lap!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a phobia like this is slowly but surely reduced and finally removed from a person\u2019s mind, we call it \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/systematic-desensitization-examples\/\">systematic desensitization<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"three\">Sub-Branch 2: Operant Conditioning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-149.png\" alt=\"young man receiving trophy\" class=\"wp-image-37845\" style=\"width:365px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Operant conditioning is concerned with <em>voluntary<\/em> behaviors while classical conditioning is concerned with <em>involuntary<\/em> behaviors.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some good scholarly definitions of operant conditioning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Gray and McBlain (2012, p. 36)<\/strong> state that operant conditioning theory believes \u201clearning occurs when behavior is either rewarded or punished.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Klein and Mowrer (2014, p. 34)<\/strong> state that \u201cin operant conditioning, an animal or human actively interacts with its environment to obtain reward. [\u2026] In anticipation of the consequences of the behavior, an animal or person voluntarily performs a specific behavior if that behavior has previously produced reinforcement.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nagel (2013, p. 80)<\/strong> notes that operant conditioning involves \u201cthe use of positive and negative consequences to strengthen or weaken voluntary behaviors.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p><strong>Here are 4 key ideas in operant conditioning:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 1. Thorndike\u2019s \u2018Law of Effect\u2019<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thorndike\u2019s \u2018Law of Effect\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Edward Thorndike (1874-1949) was an operant conditioning theorist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thorndike would put cats into a box. The cats could see food outside their box but couldn\u2019t access the food unless they pressed a lever to open their box door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At first, the cats would scratch around to find a way out. Finally, and by accident, they would hit the lever and be released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After several repeated attempts at this trick, the cats learned that hitting the lever was their way out of the box. Before long, the cats would go straight to the lever, hit it, and get their food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what\u2019s different between Thorndike\u2019s experiment and Pavlov or Watson\u2019s?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Thorndike\u2019s experiment, the cats had to actively do something: they had to hit the lever themselves!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, it\u2019s operant conditioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To explain the need for a voluntary action to occur here, Thorndike created the \u2018<strong>Law of Effect<\/strong>\u2019. This law argues that any action that leads to a positive \u2018effect\u2019 (or outcome) will increase the likelihood of that action to re-occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This law also shows us that <strong>trial and error leads to learning<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making mistakes isn\u2019t a bad thing, because you\u2019re eliminating the actions that don\u2019t lead to a positive outcome! Thanks, Edward Thorndike.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 2. B.F Skinner<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">B.F. Skinner<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>B.F. Skinner believed that learners were not just <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/passive-learning\/\">passive learners<\/a> but also active learners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, unlike classical conditioning theorists, Skinner was interested in changing voluntary behaviors through reward and punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Skinner extended Thorndike\u2019s experiments (see above) to show how he can train animals like rats and pigeons, and even children, to do just about anything if he gave the right rewards and punishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Skinner <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/escape-learning\/\">taught rats to escape boxes<\/a> that are famously now called \u2018Skinner Boxes\u2019 and even trained pigeons how to play the piano!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reason Skinner is so famous is that he really reinforced the fact that \u2018<strong>reinforcements<\/strong>\u2019 in the form of rewards and punishments lead to the outcomes that he desires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how Duchesne et al. (2013, p. 167) describe Skinner\u2019s achievements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cSkinner had successfully shown that a pattern of action very quickly emerges in response to the feedback \u2013 or reinforcement \u2013 received.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Skinner also demonstrated important <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/educational-psychology\/\">concepts in educational psychology<\/a> such as <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/dishabituation-examples-psychology\/\">dishabituation<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/habituation-examples\/\">habituation<\/a>, and desensitization.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 3. Reinforcement Schedules<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"F22\">Reinforcement Schedules<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Skinner realized that if you provide a <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link \" title=\"positive reinforcement\" href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/positive-reinforcement-examples\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">positive reinforcement<\/a> every single time a person (or animal) does the right thing, the power of the positive reinforcement will decrease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you praise a child for saying \u201cThank you\u201d every single time you give them something, the child is less likely to repeat it than if you randomly praise them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, if you rarely or never praise the child at all, they\u2019ll never learn!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what\u2019s the best way to give praise to achieve the desired effect?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Skinner experimented with constant praise, rare praise, praise at a fixed ratio (say, every 5<sup>th<\/sup> time the child says thank you), and random praise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below is a table of the results. This table is adapted from Gray and McBlain (2012, p. 37):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/reinforcement-schedule-examples\/\">Reinforcement Schedule<\/a><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Likelihood of Repetition<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/continuous-reinforcement-examples\/\">Continuous<\/a>: Praise is given every time the behavior occurs<\/td><td>Low to Moderate<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/fixed-ratio-schedule-examples\/\">Fixed Ratio<\/a>: Praise is given in a regular pattern (e.g. every 4<sup>th<\/sup> time)<\/td><td>Low to Moderate<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Intermittent: Praise is given at random intervals (<a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/partial-reinforcement-examples\/\">also known as partial reinforcement<\/a>)<\/td><td>Moderate to High<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 4. The Premack Principle<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Premack Principle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Premack Principle was invented by David Premack (1925-2015).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/premack-principle-examples\/\">Premack<\/a> extended operant conditioning by proposing that desirable activities should be used as a reward for completing undesirable activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, activities themselves act as rewards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The clearest example of this is eating your vegetables before having your desert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Parents will often tell their children that they aren\u2019t allowed to have their desert (the reward) until they have eaten their vegetables (the undesirable activity).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply put, the Premack Principle is a powerful method of cueing activities in a way that creates incentives for completing undesirable activities.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"four\">Pros and Cons of Behaviorism in Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-265.png\" alt=\"a person weighing up pros and cons\" class=\"wp-image-38508\" style=\"width:365px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are the major pros and cons of behaviorism in education:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 Pro: Can be a very Effective Teaching Strategy<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pro: Can be a very Effective Teaching Strategy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Behaviorism is effective for teachers because it gives very clear, unambiguous rules and can help teachers set <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/high-expectations-for-students\/\">high expectations<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students are shown exactly what <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/netiquette-rules\/\">the rules<\/a> are and know exactly what is expected of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are also usually really aware of the rewards and punishments that flow from their behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why behaviorism is still used in school these days. You can identify behaviorism on <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/class-rules-middle-school\/\">classroom rules<\/a> charts everywhere: do do this, don\u2019t do that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The simplicity of behaviorist theory makes it very useful for teaching children manners and rules.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 Pro: Helps in Psychotherapy<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pro: Helps in Psychotherapy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, behaviorism remains a common method used for psychotherapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Psychotherapists use the concepts of Pavlov and Watson to teach people to manage anxieties, fears and phobias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, systematic desensitization was progressed by the South African psychotherapist Joseph Wolpe (1915-1997).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wolpe developed relaxation strategies for people who are exposed to their phobias. He would encourage people to follow meditation and muscle relaxant techniques. Through controlled exposure to phobias, people can learn to overcome their fears.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 Con: Ethical Constraints<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Con: Ethical Constraints<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The most extreme elements of behaviorism are widely condemned these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, schools in the 1920s and 30s would have had very strong behaviorist orientations. Teachers would provide praise and punishment for children who were expected to repeat tasks day in, day out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nowadays, we recognize that people need to be treated with great care. We believe using corporal punishment in schools is a violation of <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/citizenship-education\/\">children\u2019s rights<\/a>. We also believe children need to be able to get up, let off steam, learn through experimentation, and <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/risky-play-in-early-childhood\/\">learn through play<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 Con: Often doesn\u2019t get to the Core of a Behavioral Issues<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Con: Often doesn\u2019t get to the Core of a Behavioral Issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you punish someone for misbehavior, you might be teaching them the behavior is wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, you might not be getting to the core of the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if a child is misbehaving in class, you can punish them but you might not be recognizing that their misbehavior is because they\u2019re hungry or tired or sick. Or, often, a child misbehaves because they don\u2019t understand what you\u2019re teaching them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, we really do need to dig deep to the bottom of behavioral issues before issuing punishments. Sometimes it\u2019s more effective to ensure students\u2019 emotional and <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/cognitive-tools\/\">cognitive needs<\/a> are met than to just give out punishments like candy.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 Con: Doesn\u2019t Examine Learning that isn\u2019t Observable<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Con: Doesn\u2019t Examine Learning that isn\u2019t Observable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Right at the start of this post I told you that behaviorists only believe learning has occurred if they see changes in behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what happens when you learn something and you don\u2019t change your behavior. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A person learns something that reinforces their beliefs.<\/strong> Therefore, they don\u2019t change their behavior. Rather, the stimulus encourages them to just keep doing what they were doing. Nonetheless, they learnt something new;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A person learns something but doesn\u2019t tell you. <\/strong>What if you learnt something from, say, watching a YouTube video, but keep that knowledge to yourself? Behaviorists wouldn\u2019t believe anything was learnt. Nonetheless, you know you learnt something!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 Con: Doesn\u2019t take into account Emotions<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Con: Doesn\u2019t take into account Emotions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Behaviorism doesn\u2019t say anything about <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/emotion-in-education\/\">emotions in education<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s some examples of how emotions may be causing misbehavior:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A child\u2019s parents are getting divorced. The child is sad, playing up at school and often yells at other children. Do you still punish them the same as normal, or do you go easy on them because they\u2019re going through a tough time?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You\u2019re using behaviorist rewards and punishments to help yourself study. You usually don\u2019t let yourself have dinner until you\u2019ve finished your daily flashcards. One day, you\u2019re having a terrible day. Do you give yourself a break and still have dinner even though you decided not to study?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Comfortable, happy, well adjusted children learn best. Should you punish still children even if you know the reason they\u2019re having a bad day is that they\u2019ve missed breakfast this morning?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Behaviorism fails to acknowledge the complex role of emotions in learning. This critique of behaviorism was advanced by Abraham Maslow who was once a behaviorist until he made a turn and became a \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/humanism-examples\/\">humanist<\/a>\u2019. Humanists talk a lot about emotions in learning.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 Con: Doesn\u2019t have a Complex understanding of Cognition<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Con: Doesn\u2019t have a Complex understanding of Cognition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In constructivist theory, we understand that learning happens through observation, reflection, organization of ideas in your mind, and developing a deep understanding of the workings of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, constructivists believe you need to have an understanding of why 5 x 5 = 25. Behaviorists tend to be happy as long as you give the right answer. Who cares how you got there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, people who are very good at memorizing information tend to do well in behaviorist situations. People who are very good at deeply understanding concepts tend to do well in <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/constructivism-in-the-classroom\/\">constructivist classrooms<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Knowing <em>why <\/em>an answer is correct is better than just knowing the answer.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 Con: Doesn\u2019t clearly Explain how we Learn through Social Interaction<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Con: Doesn\u2019t clearly Explain how we Learn through Social Interaction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You will find that the behaviorists don\u2019t say much about the role of social interaction for learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Social learning theorists tend to believe that social interaction is great for learning. By talking things through with others you get to learn their perspectives which broadens your horizons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Social interactions can also lead you to change your own opinions based on the information others give you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Behaviorists seem to have a blind spot when it comes to social interactions: they don\u2019t really talk about it much! This critique was advanced by Albert Bandura, who you might want to do more research on if you\u2019re interested!<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 Con: Critical Thinking is not Encouraged<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Con: Critical Thinking is not Encouraged<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Critical thinking is a necessary skill for contemporary life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For creating critical thinkers, we need to get people to think about, develop and analyze rules. Behaviorism doesn\u2019t<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students need to be able to <em>create<\/em> their own beliefs based upon their observations, conversations and independent thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By contrast, behaviorism lays out very clear rules. It\u2019s rare for behaviorists to accept critique of the rules that are laid out by teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The focus of behaviorism is not on critical thinking and individuality. Instead, the focus is on conformity. And that\u2019s not great!<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:2px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"><summary>\u27a4 Con: Focuses too much on Extrinsic Rewards<\/summary>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Con: Focuses too much on Extrinsic Rewards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Behaviorism is focused on providing rewards and punishments for learning. This is considered an \u2018extrinsic\u2019 motivator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Extrinsic motivators are not as good as intrinsic motivators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The difference between Extrinsic and Intrinsic motivation is this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/extrinsic-motivation-examples\/\">Extrinsic Motivation<\/a>: <\/strong>When someone relies on \u2018external\u2019 factors to motivate them, it\u2019s called extrinsic motivation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/intrinsic-motivation-examples\/\">Intrinsic Motivation<\/a>: <\/strong>When someone does a task because they really want to do it for their own reasons we call it intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation includes: doing something because you just enjoy it; the activity makes you feel good without the need for reward and punishment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I have a whole article on <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/intrinsic-vs-extrinsic-motivation\/\">Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation in Education<\/a> that you can <a href=\"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/intrinsic-vs-extrinsic-motivation\/\">check out here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"six\">References and Further Reading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Blaise, M. (2011). Teachers theory making. In G. Latham, M. Blaise, S. Dole, J. Faulkner &amp; K. Malone (Eds.),&nbsp;<em>Learning to teach: New times, new practices&nbsp;<\/em>(Vol. 2, pp. 105-157). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A., Bochner, S., &amp; Krause, K. L. (2013).&nbsp;<em>Educational psychology: For learning and teaching<\/em>&nbsp;(4th ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gray, C., &amp; Macblain, S. (2012).<em>&nbsp;Learning theories in childhood<\/em>. London: Sage Publications Ltd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Klein, S., &amp; Mowrer, R. (2014).&nbsp;<em>Contemporary Learning Theories: Volume II: Instrumental Conditioning Theory and the Impact of Biological Constraints on Learning<\/em>. New York: Psychology Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Levine, L. &amp; Munsch, J. (2014). <em>Child Development: An Active Learning Approach. <\/em>Los Angeles: Sage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nagel, M. (2013). Student learning. In R. Churchill, P. Ferguson, S. Godinho, N. Johnson, A. Keddie,&nbsp;Letts, W., &amp; Vickers, M.&nbsp;(Eds.),<em>&nbsp;Teaching making a difference&nbsp;<\/em>(Vol. 2, pp. 74-88). Milton, QLD: Wiley Publishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pritchard, A. (2013). <em>Ways of Learning: Learning Theories and Learning Styles in the Classroom.<\/em> London: Routledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Punjabi, S. (2018). <em>Child Development &amp; Pedagogy. <\/em>New Delhi: Disha Publications.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This post covers the definition of behaviorism, operant and classical conditioning and pros and cons of beahviorism. Facts 12 &#038; 22 are great for your 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(PhD)","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/behaviorism-theory-e1554158516577.jpg",350,350,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/behaviorism-theory-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/behaviorism-theory-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/behaviorism-theory-768x768.jpg",768,768,true],"large":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/behaviorism-theory-e1554158516577.jpg",350,350,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/behaviorism-theory-e1554158516577.jpg",350,350,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/behaviorism-theory-e1554158516577.jpg",350,350,false],"authorship-box-avatar":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/behaviorism-theory-e1554158516577.jpg",150,150,false],"authorship-box-related":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/behaviorism-theory-e1554158516577.jpg",70,70,false],"authorship-post-flat":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/behaviorism-theory-e1554158516577.jpg",70,70,false],"authorship-post-cards":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/behaviorism-theory-e1554158516577.jpg",189,189,false],"authorship-post-thumbs":["https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/behaviorism-theory-e1554158516577.jpg",100,100,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Chris Drew (PhD)","author_link":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/author\/chris-drew-phd\/"},"uagb_comment_info":9,"uagb_excerpt":"This post covers the definition of behaviorism, operant and classical conditioning and pros and cons of beahviorism. Facts 12 & 22 are great for your essay.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4194"}],"version-history":[{"count":77,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38512,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4194\/revisions\/38512"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpfulprofessor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}