Behaviorism

AGENDA
Date: September 6th, 2024
Objective: To discuss the most important aspects of behaviorism and its effects on learning.
❑Thorndike and his Laws
❑Pavlov and his Classical conditioning
❑Skinner and his Operant conditioning
❑Quizziz on the principles
❑Application of behaviorism in education
❑Drawbacks of behaviorism
❑Group work
❑ Homework: Investigate about the following aspects:
What is social cognitive theory by Albert Bandura?
What is the Bobo Doll experiment about?
What is the Reciprocal Causation Model? (Draw it and write its components)
What is the concept of Self-efficacy about (in this theory)?
What is self-regulation about (in this theory)?
BEHAVIORISM
Behaviorism is a movement in psychology that advocates the use of strictly
experimental procedures for the observation of behaviors (responses) in relation to
the environment (stimulus).

Behaviorism developed at the beginning of the 20th century. For “behaviorists,”

humans acquire and preserve all our behaviors because of their environmental
consequences.

A large part of the learning theories developed between 1920 and 1960 can be
related to behaviorism.
Let’s observe these situations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_Vx3kHc_Bw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_Vx3kHc_Bw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt-9SYXjcgM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt-9SYXjcgM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0FcAxotbZE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0FcAxotbZE
What is similar in between the situations?
What is the purpose of the Chocolate, Cheetos or mints?
 SKINNER
THORNDIKE PAVLOV

HONZINK
BEHAVIORISM WATSON
THEORISTS

GUTHRIE
TOLMAN

ALBERT BANDURA HULL

CONEXIONISMO DE
EDWARD THORNDIKE

Edward Lee Thorndike was

an American psychologist
and educator, considered a
predecessor of American
behavioral psychology.

His main contributions

were learning by trial/error
and the law of effect. His
studies on animal behavior
allowed him to develop the
theory of Connectionism.
THORNDIKE’S LABORATORY TESTS
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlpZs6PsvV4
CONNECTIONISM
“Connectionism” consists of establishing a definitive instrumental
connection between appropriate behavior and the reward.

Trial-and-error learning: Learning occurs when a response to a stimulus is

followed by a state of satisfaction, which strengthens the connection
between the stimulus and the response.

Trial and error learning occurs gradually (incrementally) as successful

responses are established, and unsuccessful responses are abandoned.
 LAW OF EXERCISE AND LAW OF EFFECT
It states that the more a
Law of Exercise. It It does not take into
response to a stimulus is
focuses on repetition account the
repeated, the stronger
and practice as keys to consequences of the
the connection between
learning. response.
the two becomes.

Law of Effect. It focuses Responses that are followed

on the consequences of by satisfying consequences It does not take into
become stronger, while those
the response as followed by unsatisfactory account the repetition
determinants of consequences become of the answer.
learning. weaker.
 Which law applies to these situations? Law of
exercise or law of effect?
To stand up and talk with
To get bad grades after A students is mispronouncing
a friend because the To repeat a word properly
not studying of a test. So, a word, a word that has been
teacher is not saying many times after the
the student feels an previously studied, the
anything to other teacher so I can get an teacher then scolds the
immediate need to study
students who are doing extra point. student for not doing it right.
more to get better grades.
the same.

To throw garbage on the To always clean the

A student would exempt a
classroom floor because classroom before class To fill in multiple exercises
final test because of good
the teacher is not paying starts because our to know the grammar so I
grades during the
attention, so the student teacher is promoting that can get better at English.
semester.
won’t be penalized. routine.

Law of Exercise Law of Effect

CLASSICAL
CONDITIONING
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was a Russian
physiologist, famous for having
formulated classical conditioning.

When he was director of the physiology

laboratory at the Institute of Experimental
Medicine in Saint Petersburg, he observed that
dogs used to salivate when they saw the
assistant who brought them food, and even at
the sound of his footsteps.

Pavlov realized that the assistant was not

a neutral stimulus in the environment for
the salivation reflex but had acquired that
power by becoming associated with food.
COMPONENTS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

Unconditioned stimulus (US): It is a stimulus that provokes a reflex response without the need
for prior learning.

Unconditioned response (IR): It is the natural and automatic response that occurs when faced
with an unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned stimulus (CS): It is a stimulus that does not originally provoke a response, but
after being paired with an unconditioned stimulus, it provokes a response similar to the IR.

Conditioned response (CR): It is the learned response that occurs when faced with a
conditioned stimulus.
ANY EXAMPLES IN
EDUCATION?
 Classical conditioning is a multistep
procedure that initially involves
Classical conditoning
presenting an unconditioned stimulus
(UCS), which elicits an unconditioned
Basic concepts in

response (UCR).

Extinction: it is a phenomenon in which

repeated nonreinforced presentations
of the Conditioned Stimulus (i.e.,
without the Unconditioned Stimulus)
cause the Conditioned Response to
diminish in intensity and disappear.
Basic concepts in classical
conditioning

• Spontaneous recovery: occurs after a time lapse in which the

CS is not presented, and the CR presumably extinguishes. If
the CS then is presented and the CR returns, we say that the
CR spontaneously recovered from extinction. A CR that
recovers will not endure unless the CS is presented again.
Pairings of the CS with the UCS restore the CR to full strength.
 Generalization: Stimulus generalization is the
tendency for a conditioned stimulus to evoke
classical conditioning similar responses after the response has been
conditioned.8 For example, if a dog has been
conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell,
the animal may also exhibit the same response
Basic concepts in

to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned

stimulus..

Discrimination: Discrimination is the ability to

differentiate between a conditioned stimulus
and other stimuli that have not been paired with
an unconditioned stimulus.
 A well-known behavioral
theory is Operant
Conditioning, formulated
by B. F. (Burrhus Frederic)
Operant Skinner (1904-1990).
conditioning Skinner applied his ideas
to human problems. Early
in his career, he became
interested in education
and developed teaching
machines and
programmed instruction.
He then decided to do
experiments with animals
such as rats and pigeons to
study how to shape their
behavior.
REINFORCEMENT

Reinforcement increase the probability that the desired behavior will happen
again.

There is "Positive Reinforcement" and "Negative Reinforcement“.

Positive reinforcement is to present or give a “ good stimulus" after a desired

response so it can happen again.

Negative reinforcement implies to drop or remove a “unpleasant stimulus"

after a desired response so it can happen again.
 Positive
Reinforcement
Students are given "stars" every time they
Negative participate.
Reinforcement Students will not have homework that day if
REINFORCEMENT
they finish the worksheet on time.

To praise a student by saying "good job"

POSITIVE OR

"well-done" etc.
NEGATIVE

To give candy to a student who does the

homework. (From the winner's perspective).

If a student behaves properly that week, he

will not get detention.
 PUNISHMENT
Decreases the likelihood that the undesired behavior will happen again.

Punishment is often mistakenly confused with negative reinforcement.

Reinforcement increases the chances that a behavior will occur, and punishment decreases
the chances.

There is "Positive" and "Negative" Punishment.

Positive punishment involves presenting an aversive stimulus after an undesired behavior

has occurred, so it won't happen again.
Negative punishment involves taking away a desirable stimulus after an undesired
behavior has occurred, so it won't happen again.
Positive
Punishment To give detention after not
complying with classroom rules.
Negative
Punishment
To scold a student for interrupting.
POSITIVE OR
NEGATIVE To tell a student he will have to
PUNISHMENT miss recess because of his/her
behavior.

To not allow a kid to play a video

game because of bad grades at
school
APPLICATION OF BEHAVIORIST IDEAS IN
EDUCATION.
Establishing routines
Rules and procedures
Pusnishment and rewards strategies.
Grades
Involving parents into kids’ performance at school.
SOME DRAWBACKS
Ignores the fact that human beings have cognitive control over their behavior.
This means that people do not necessarily reproduce all the types of behavior
they observe.

Results from animal research cannot be extrapolated to humans since the

anatomy as well as the cognitive functions is different from humans.

Underestimate the complexity of human's behavior by suggesting that all

behavior is learned from the environment through conditioning.
FIRST-TERM ASSIGNMENT :D