Behaviorism

Abstract Behaviorism was studied to discover how it has affected the understanding of learning. The research begins with a brief history of its development, and the main components of behaviorism. This paper will also include description of several behaviorists’ experiments and explains how behaviorism develops new behaviors. Introduction The design of instruction for learners normally involves an analysis of learning needs and goals and subsequent development of a delivery system or approach for meeting such needs. It includes such activities as developing learning materials, designing instructional activities, determining techniques for involving learners, facilitating learning activities, and carrying out some evaluation efforts. (Hiemstra, Brockett,). Instructional design is based on the theoretical foundation such as cognitvism, constructivism, and behaviorism. (Isman, A. 2011p.137)What affect does behaviorism play in designing instruction' An instructional designer must first understand what is behaviorism and how does it affect the understanding of learning. Development of Behaviorism. During the early 19th century, theories in behaviorism were originated to have psychology as branch of natural science. John Watson, the father of behaviorism, claimed that psychology was not concerned with the mind or with human consciousness. Instead, psychology would be concerned only with behavior. Behaviorism is the study of observable behaviors in response to stimuli. (Wingart, Oliveira, Sommerfelt, Pollock, and, Hilliard (n.d) Watson’s work was based on the experiments of Ivan Pavlov, who had studied animals’ responses to conditioning. In Pavlov’s best-known experiment, he ranged a bell as he fed some dogs several meals. Each time the dogs heard the bell, they knew that a meal was coming, and they would begin to slobber. Pavlov then ranged the bell without bringing food, but the dogs still slobbered. They had been “conditioned” to slobber at the sound of a bell. Pavlov believed, as Watson was later to emphasize, that humans react to stimuli in the same way. Other behaviorists, such as B.F. Skinner and Hans Eysenck expanded on these premises in their own work. Marshall (1998) Eysenck wrote numerous novels and articles on abnormal behavior, which he considered is conditional. On the other hand, Skinner developed the theory of “operant conditioning,” the idea that we behave the way we do because this kind of behavior has had certain consequences in the past. The Three Main Components of Behaviorism. As a result of the behaviorist theories, three general models were developed: Classical conditioning, connectionism, and operant conditioning. With classical conditioning, the model of learning focuses on just stimulus and the resulting response (Stimulus – Response (S-R)). Pavlov’s and Watson’s studies are example of the S-R model of learning. Connectionism, (Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R)) focuses on the addition of the individual’s cognitive process between the stimulus and response. A connection is made between the stimulus of the environment, the behavior and the consequences. Operant Conditioning, (Response (R)) focuses on a singular response. Skinner believed that operant conditioning could predict and control behavior and demonstrated that cognitive processes were not part of the learning. Driscoll(2005)These general learning models have created a strong foundation for the field of psychology. Other Behaviorist Experiments. One of the most common behaviorism experiment known is Pavlov’s dog, which Skinner revised the ideas of Pavlov and Watson into what he called operant conditioning. He used pigeons to help explain more complex behavior. Skinner included the act of reinforcement, both positive and negative and its effect. He also noticed that predictability and the removal of reinforce was important to demonstrate operant conditioning. In the 1960s, Albert Bandura added social learning to behaviorism and demonstrates how we think and react. He identified rehearsal and modeling as key learning mechanism. These experiments have increase the development of behaviorism and made it more effective to be used. How Behaviorism develop new behaviors' There are three ways to develop new behaviors to an individual. The first one is modeling, which is known as observation. To teach an individual new ways of behaving, allow him to observe a prestige person performing the desired behavior. The second one is shaping. It is the process of gradually changing the quality of a response. The desired behavior is broken down into discrete, concrete units, or positive movements, each of which is reinforced as it progresses towards the overall behavioral goal. In other words, the desired behavior is reinforced each time only approximates the target behavior. Finally, cueing provide the learning with a verbal or nonverbal as to the correctness of a behavior. For example, if the teacher is working with a student that habitually answers aloud instead of raising his hand, the teacher should discuss a cue such as hand-raising at the end of a question posed to the class. Standridge (2002). As Bandura stated, “Of the many cues that influence behavior, at any point in time, none is more common than the actions of others." (Bandura, 1986, p. 45) Conclusion Behaviorism is not as dominant today as it was during the early 1900’s, but it still remains as the most influential force in psychology. Teachers, military, and animal trainers still utilize behavioral principles to develop new behaviors and remove unwanted behaviors. References Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundation of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Behaviorism: A psychological perspective. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.personal.psu.edu/wxh139/bahavior.htm#foundation . Driscoll, Marcy. (2005). Radical Behaviorism. [Pearson Education] Retrieve from http://wow.coursesmart.com/9781256741565/firstsection# . Hiemstra, Roger and Brockett, Ralph G. (2009) From Behaviorism to Humanism. Retrieved from http://www-distance.syr.edu/sdlhuman.html . Isman, A. (2011). Instructional Design in Education: New Model. Turkish Online Journal Of Educational Technology - TOJET, 10(1), 136-142. Kearsley, Greg. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/index.html Marshall, Gordon. "Behaviorism." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Retrieved September 03, 2012 from Enc yclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-behaviourism.html. Standridge, M. (2002). Behaviorism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved August28, 2009, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt . Wingart,K. , Oliveira,J., Sommerfelt, S., Pollock,K., and Hilliard, B.(n.d). Retrieved from https://www.msu.edu/user/sommer13/Cohort/Behavorism/BehavioralismDescriptionWeb.htm