Behaviorism and Response
Learning from the Behaviorist Teacher
Abstract
This paper discusses and defines behaviorism and explores how this theory of learning has affected understanding of learning. It includes a brief history of the founding of behaviorism; discusses the key theorists, including Pavlov, Watson and Skinner; details experiments conducted by the key theorists and the results there from; and discusses how the behaviorist model of learning can be utilized to develop knowledge. This paper concludes that whether or not to utilize behaviorism to develop new behaviors should be dependent on the instructor’s audience and the instructional objective’s and goals.
Learning from the Behaviorist Teacher Behaviorism is one example of a variety of models, methods and theories for examining and explaining learning. It focuses on acquiring knowledge, skills, concepts and habits through observable behaviors which are reinforced until they occur automatically. Behaviorism was first discovered and utilized in the experiments of Ivan Pavlov and Edward Thorndike, as a method for explaining observable changes in behavior based on conditioning experiments on animals. This theory rose in popularity and dominated the landscape in both the classroom and workplace training environment with the call of Watson and the subsequent experiments and analysis of B. F. Skinner. However, as other theories of learning gained prominence by addressing perceived shortcomings in the behavioral approach and explaining the learner’s acquisition of knowledge by a means other than observable changes in behavior, behaviorism decreased in popularity. Although other theories also explain learning, behaviorism and its approach to education remain a useful method of instruction for young learners in formative stages, students with disabilities and for conditioning programmed responses. Consequently, whether or not to utilize behaviorism to develop new behaviors should be dependent on the
Abstract
This paper discusses and defines behaviorism and explores how this theory of learning has affected understanding of learning. It includes a brief history of the founding of behaviorism; discusses the key theorists, including Pavlov, Watson and Skinner; details experiments conducted by the key theorists and the results there from; and discusses how the behaviorist model of learning can be utilized to develop knowledge. This paper concludes that whether or not to utilize behaviorism to develop new behaviors should be dependent on the instructor’s audience and the instructional objective’s and goals.
Learning from the Behaviorist Teacher Behaviorism is one example of a variety of models, methods and theories for examining and explaining learning. It focuses on acquiring knowledge, skills, concepts and habits through observable behaviors which are reinforced until they occur automatically. Behaviorism was first discovered and utilized in the experiments of Ivan Pavlov and Edward Thorndike, as a method for explaining observable changes in behavior based on conditioning experiments on animals. This theory rose in popularity and dominated the landscape in both the classroom and workplace training environment with the call of Watson and the subsequent experiments and analysis of B. F. Skinner. However, as other theories of learning gained prominence by addressing perceived shortcomings in the behavioral approach and explaining the learner’s acquisition of knowledge by a means other than observable changes in behavior, behaviorism decreased in popularity. Although other theories also explain learning, behaviorism and its approach to education remain a useful method of instruction for young learners in formative stages, students with disabilities and for conditioning programmed responses. Consequently, whether or not to utilize behaviorism to develop new behaviors should be dependent on the
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