Behaviorist Views of Learning

8/3/2019 Behaviorist Views of Learning

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BEHAVIORIST VIEWS OF

LEARNING



Instructional Objectives:

1. Describe the assumptions underlying behaviorism and theirimplications for classroom practice.

2. Distinguish between classical conditioning and operant conditioning,and use each of these learning theories to explain how a variety of

responses may be learned in the classroom.

3. Compare positive and negative reinforcement, and list numerous formsthat reinforcement might take in a classroom setting.

4. Devise strategies for improving the classroom behavior and academicperformance of chronically off-task or misbehaving children.

5. Use behaviorist principles to explain the diversity that teachers arelikely to see in childrens behaviors.

6. Describe both strengths and limitations of behaviorist approaches.



Definition

Behaviorism is a learning theory that only

focuses on objectively observable behaviors

and discounts any independent activities of

the mind.

Behavior theorists define learning as nothing

more than the acquisition of new behavior

based on environmental conditions.



Basic Assumption

1. Behavior is the result of experiences with

environment stimuli- conditioning

2. Learning involves behavior change3. Learning involves among stimuli-responses

4. Learning occurs when stimuli and responses

occur together in time.5. Most species learn in similar manner



How behaviorism impacts learning?

This theory is very simple to understand becauseit relies only on observable behavior anddescribes several laws of behavior. Its positive-

negative reinforcement techniques can be veryeffective such as in treatment for humandisorder like autism, antisocial behavior andanxiety disorder.

Behaviorism is often used by teacher whoreward or punish students behavior.



Classical conditioning

occurs when a natural reflex responds to a

stimulus. We are biologically wired so that a

certain stimulus will produce a specific response.

One of the more common examples of classical

conditioning in the educational environment is in

situations where students exhibit irrational fearsand anxieties like fear of failure, fear of public

speaking and general school phobia.



Q1.What behaviors are classically

conditioned?

Behaviors that are classically conditioned arethose which involve the learningof involuntary responses -- responses over

which the learner has no control and to whichhe or she responds reflexively or"automatically."

Thus, examples include a dog salivating at thesound of the dinner bell.



Q 2.How do you increase behavior

through classical conditioning?

In classical conditioning, behaviors are increased in one of two ways:

1. repeated practice and positive reinforcement: morepairings (of neutral stimuli with unconditioned stimuli),which can include drill-and-practice

(i.e., additional training) but also includes rewarding thedesired behavior, positive reinforcement (e.g., trying to

build an association between desired behavior andpleasure of the reward)

2. stronger reinforcement: stronger unconditioned stimuli(i.e., traumatic events) produce stronger conditioning



Q 3.How do you d ecrease behavior

through classical conditioning?

There are several ways to change inappropriate

conditioned responses:

Extinguishing: stop pairing the response with the

stimulus in order to extinguish the linkage(this is

the mildest method, and least reliable because of

speed, avoidance, and spontaneous recovery)- Examples: teacher ignoring student's disruptive

behavior in order not to give her attention.



Exhaustion: keep repeating the stimulus until theindividual is too tired to respond in the habitual way;

the intent is to get the response to the stimulus tobecome "doing nothing" or "not responding" to thestimulus

Examples: a teacher making a kid being punished forthrowing spitballs (S) stay after school and throwspitballs (R) until the kid can't throw anymore (CR).

(R= responses, S= stimulus, CR= conditioned responses)



Q 4:What role does classical conditioning play in

educational settings?

The most common examples of classicalconditioning seen in the educational environmentare in situations where students exhibit phobias

and anxieties, like "math anxiety," fear of failure,and general school phobia.

It is not easy (but it's important!) for teachers to

try to create a consistent, positive classroomclimate where students experience more successthan failure.



Q 5:What roles do stimulus generalization and

discrimination play in classical conditioning?

The effect of stimulus generalization is to transfer or "spread" theconditioned response to new stimuli.

For example, a person frightened of the sight of blood mightgeneralize that response to include a variety of other blood-redobjects.

The effect of stimulus d iscrimination is just the opposite -- to de-generalize the stimulus, so that the individual learns to respond toone stimulus but learns not to respond to a somewhat similarstimulus.

For example, Pavlov's dogs could be trained to differentiate theirresponse to two bell tones -- the higher pitched tone beingassociated with the arrival of food (thus: salivation) and the lowertone not associated with food.



Operant/ Instrumental conditioning

occurs when a response to a stimulus isreinforced.

Basically, operant conditioning is a simple

feedback system: If a reward or reinforcementfollows the response to a stimulus, then theresponse becomes more probable in the future.

For example, leading behaviorist B.F. Skinner usedreinforcement techniques to teach pigeons todance and bowl a ball in a mini-alley.



Q1.What behaviors are operantly

conditioned?

Behaviors that are operantly conditioned arethose that have been reinforced. These aregenerally volitional behaviors (whereas the

classical conditioned response is typicallyinvoluntary).

Skinner's basic principle of operant conditioning

is: "A response followed by a reinforcer isstrengthened and is therefore more likely tooccur again."



Q 2.How do you increase behavior

through operant conditioning?

You reinforce it.

There are 3 important conditions:

1. The reinforcer must f ollow the response.

2. The reinforcer must follow immed iately.

3. The reinforcer must be contingent on theresponse.

Timing, magnitude, and consistency of reinforcement all can affect the rate at whichnew behaviors are learned.



Q 3.How do you d ecrease behavior

through operant conditioning?Three methods:

1. differential reinforcement of other behaviors is a procedure whereby anorganism is reinforced for not exhibiting a particular behavior during aspecified time interval reinforcing incompatible responses {not as widelyfollowed these days?} (e.g., teacher praises a student who manages to getthrough recess without fighting)

2. reinforcing incompatible behaviors -- reinforcement of a behaviorincompatible with the undesired response (e.g., putting the school litterbug incharge of the campus cleanup campaign and giving him positivereinforcement for his role)

3. punishment -- (1) presentation of an aversive stimulus (e.g., spanking) and (2)removal of a pleasant stimulus (e.g., not being allowed to watch TV). There isa lot of argument about whether punishment works or not. Punishment onlysuppresses the undesired behavior, so it's best coupled with an alternativepositive behavior which you hope will replace the undesired behavior.



Q 4. What roles do stimulus generalization and

discrimination play in operant conditioning?

These roles are primarily related to antecedent stimuli. When anorganism has learned to respond in a certain way in the presence of one stimulus, it is likely to respond in the same way in the presence of similar stimuli( stimulus generalization).

Teachers can encourage good behavior, reminding students by meansof cueing (providing additional discriminative stimuli to let studentsknow how to behave, like saying, on the way to the lunchroom, "Walkquietly and in single file.") or by setting events (complex environmentalconditions under which certain behaviors are most likely to occur).

However, if a particular response has been reinforced in the presenceof one stimulus, but not in the presence of another, the organism willmost likely exhibit the response only when the former stimulus ispresented ( stimulus d iscrimination).



Q 5.What types of instructional methods are

based on operant conditioning?

Five educational innovations can be attributedeither directly or indirectly to operantconditioning principles:

1. instructional objectives

2. programmed instruction and its offshoot,computer-assisted instruction

3. mastery learning

4. contingency contracts

5. applied behavior analysis



Q6:How would you design a program of instruction to

work on operant conditioned responses?

Start with clearly stated objectives so that instructional(and/or behavioral) goals are clear to the learner.

If appropriate, briefly describe the benefit to the learner of the learning being taught. Use the "mastery learning"approach in chunking material to be taught.

Provide for students' active response to instruction, withreinforcement or feedback as immediate as possible.

Punishment should be used sparingly, but shouldbe immediate and appropriate to the misbehavior.



Mastery checkpoints should be provided atappropriate intervals so students can measure their

progress and accomplishment.

Sincere praise and appropriate reinforcement shouldbe included along the way.

At the end of the program, there should be closure andappropriate appraisal of progress.

"Operant" instruction is designed not only to teach the

student one particular subject matter, but alsoto reward and encourage internalization of goodstudy habits.



POSITIVE vs NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT:

Positive reinforcement is a very powerful and

effective tool to help shape and changebehaviour.

Positive reinforcement works by presenting a

motivating item to the person after the

desired behaviour is exhibited, making the

behaviour more likely to happen in the future.



NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT:

Negative reinforcement is when a certain

stimulus/item is removed after a particularbehaviour is exhibited.

The likelihood of the particular behaviour

occurring again in the future is increased becauseof removing/avoiding the negative stimuli.

Negative reinforcement should not be thought of

as a punishment procedure. With negativereinforcement, you are increasing a behaviour,whereas with punishment, you are decreasing abehavior.



Forms of reinforcement Intrinsic reinforcement

Intrinsic reinforcement is reinforcement that is done internally. Inother words it is something we do to ourselves, although this maybe done with external stimulus, such as thanks or smiles.

Extrinsic reinforcement

Extrinsic reinforcement is reinforcement from without, clearly

outside of our internal thinking. Classic examples of extrinsicreinforcements are money and physical punishment.

Primary reinforcement

Primary reinforcement has a clear causal connection betweenbehaviour and reinforcement, for example where complying with asimple request results in the reinforcement of thanks.

Secondary reinforcement

Secondary reinforcement is less clear and is learned only throughexperience or musing. Thus, for example, a person who cooks afriend a particular meal discovers after doing this several times that

it seems to make the other person somewhat friendlier.



Positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is where something pleasanthappens after a behaviour. As a result, the behaviourincreases.

- You hand me the salt and I say thank you. Next time youmight offer me the salt without being asked. I will still smileand thank you, so you keep offering me the salt.

Negative reinforcement

Negative reinforcement occurs when something thatis not liked does not happen when a behaviour occurs. As a

result, the behaviour increases.

- You do not hand me the salt. I stare at you.When you hand me the salt, I do not stare at you. Nexttime, you hand me the salt to avoid the nasty stare.



Example

A child nags a busy mother until it gets attention. Themother frequently response angrily. For the child this isnot the perfect response but it is better than nothing,so it continues to nag. The mother has thus reinforcedthe nagging behaviour.

When food is shown, but not given to a dog it performsa range of tricks it has been taught by being given food.When it begs, it is given the food. When it is shownfood in the future, it is more likely to try begging first.

A schoolteacher does not allow her pupils out to playuntil they are quiet (negative reinforcement).



Punishment

Whilst reward and punishment are both forms of

reinforcement, they are different in effect

especially with humans who respond variably,

particularly to punishment.

Punishment is not negative reinforcement and is

less effective. Punishment happens after a

behaviour that is not desirable. In negative reinforcement, discomfort is delivered

when a desired behaviour does not happen.



Q 1: August 2010

Answer:



Q 2: August 2010

Behaviorist Views of Learning

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