BEHAVIORISM

HOW IT WORKS IN THE CLASSROOM

Irina Leonov

Kathleen Coolman

Kori Cohen

Morgan Carey

Sarah Dummer

Tyler Bayer

Roots of Behaviorism

John B. Watson Ivan Pavlov B.F Skinner Launched in 1913

John Broadus Watson (1878- 1958)

Watson was born to a large, poor, rural family in South Carolina.

Influenced by the Nobel Prize-winning (1904) work of Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)

B.F. Skinner

Born in Susquhanna, PA.

He was a teacher, psychologist and inventor

Studied and taught at Harvard

Photo taken in 1971 by Joyce Dopkeen - New York Times/Hulton Archive/Getty Images(Accessed July 30, 2009 from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic-art/334034/109857/BF-Skinner-1971)

Ivan Pavlov

Born on September 14, 1849 in Ryazan, Russia

Russian physiologist Research on the

physiology of digestion would earn him the Nobel Prize

How it works

Focuses on the learning of behaviors Goal was to predict and control behavior All behavior can be explained through

the process of learning. Emphasizes the role of experience in a

person’s life, shaping development from childhood into adulthood.

Psychology of development should study behavior rather than speculate about unobservable behavior.

Social, Emotional & Cognitive

Emphasizes the role of more experienced people in the process of learning.

Zone of Proximal Development Cognitive development should be

studied through the observations of behavior.

Two Types of Conditioning

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849–1936)

B.F Skinner (1904–90)

Thorndike

Classical ConditioningOperant Conditioning

Classical Conditioning

When a natural stimulus is replaced by a new or “conditioned” stimulus and still produces the original response.

Before Conditioning

Unconditioned Unconditioned

Stimulus Response

Neutral No

Stimulus Response

During Conditioning

Neutral Unconditioned Unconditioned

Stimulus + Stimulus Response

After Conditioning

Neutral Conditioned Stimulus Response

When alone, the neutral stimulus now produces the original response. Therefore, the neutral stimulus has become the conditioned stimulus producing the conditioned response.

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Operant Conditioning

When behavior is maximized if followed by reinforcement, or minimized if followed by punishment.

“The act operates on the environment to produce rewarding or punishing stimuli.”

- David G. Myers

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Criticisms of Behaviorism

Behaviorism is naturalistic. This means that the material world is the ultimate reality, and everything can be explained in terms of natural laws. Man has no soul and no mind, only a brain that responds to external stimuli.

Criticisms of Behaviorism cont. Behaviorism teaches that man is nothing

more than a machine that responds to conditioning. One writer has summarized behaviorism in this way: “The central principle of behaviorism is that thoughts, feelings, and intentions, mental processes all, do not determine what we do. Our behavior is the product of our conditioning. We are biological machines and do not consciously act; rather we react to stimuli.

Criticisms of Behaviorism cont. Consistently, behaviorism teaches that

we are not responsible for our actions. If we are mere machines, without minds or souls, reacting to stimuli and operating on our environment to attain certain ends, then anything we do is inevitable. Sociobiology, a type of behaviorism, compares man to a computer: Garbage in, garbage out

Criticisms of Behaviorism cont. Behaviorism is manipulative. It seeks not

merely to understand human behavior, but to predict and control it. From his theories, Skinner developed the idea of “shaping.” By controlling rewards and punishments, you can shape the behavior of another person.

Behaviorism in the Classroom Classroom behavior management Small rewards can motivate students Games with a point system can be used in

memorization tasks Keep a pleasant environment during class

to avoid conditioning kids to dislike certain subjects

Use behaviorist methods (rewards or punishment) to practice what has already been taught, not to teach

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Social Studies

Behaviorism does little to develop analytical and comprehension skills, so it may be of limited use in the social studies classroom

Helpful in memorization of facts or important dates, but this type of information should only play a supporting role in understanding the larger concepts being studied.

Mathematics

Behaviorism is especially applicable to memory tasks that may be required in math class

Reward system will motivate kids to answer correctly, but will not directly aid in understanding concepts

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References

Babkin, B.P. (1949). Pavlov: A Biography. Toronto, Canada: The University of Chicago Press.

"behaviourism n."  A Dictionary of Psychology. Edited by Andrew M. Colman. Oxford University Press 2009. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Portland State University.  11 August 2009  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t87.e951>

Gauvain, Mary, E. Mavis Hetherington, Virginia Otis Locke, and Ross D. Parke. Child Psychology A Contemporary Viewpoint Sixth 6th Edition. New York: Mcgraw Hill, 2006.

Myers, David G. (2004). Psychology: Seventh Edition Modules. New York: Worth Publishers.

O'Donnell, J. M. (1985). The origins of behaviorism: American psychology, 1870-1920.New York: New York University Press.

Phillips, D. C., and Jonas F. Soltis. Perspectives on Learning (Thinking About Education Series). New York: Teachers College Press, 2004.