Running head: BEHAVIORISM PARADIGM
Behaviorism
Kristi N. Garrett
University of Alabama
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February 24, 1913 marks the birth of John Watson’s behaviorist manifesto
(“Behaviorism,” The Early years of Behaviorism section). According to EduTech Wiki (2009),
the doctrine of behaviorism states that it is the observed result of a stimulated action. In the
mind of the behaviorist, i.e. Watson and Skinner, Naik (1998) argues that people are nothing
more than simple mediators between behavior and the environment (Skinner, 1931, p.428). In
order to understand a person’s behavior, the environment in which they are a product of is a
major contributing factor in the development of that person. Each member of society is
conditioned by a form of positive or negative behavior that they perceive as appropriate in a
particular environment.
When a young child reaches potty training age, the parent usually rewards the child with
an audible applause after they have shown successful results of properly depositing into the toilet
and not their diaper. The child is being stimulated to repeat that same successful result when
they receive the audible applause, therefore motivating them through the use of positive
reinforcement encourages continuous performance of that same action. Once the restroom usage
action becomes a part of the child’s regular routine, then the act of using the restroom is a natural
component in their behavior.
In the event the child has unsuccessful restroom experiences, negative reinforcement can
be enforced by the parent in the form of restricting the child’s privilege to play with their favorite
toy. The child will associate their lack of restroom usage to the removal of their favorite toy.
This correlation will should decrease the lack of restroom usage in the child’s efforts to regain
toy privileges.
Several theorists have contributed to the vast amounts of behavior studies, but the two
that will be discussed are John Watson and B.F. Skinner. According to Naik (1998), B.F.
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Skinner conducted research around operant condition (Skinner, 1931, p. 427). The example
above pertaining to the use of positive and negative reinforcement to condition restroom usage of
a child is a form of operant conditioning. Skinner is quoted as saying “Teachers must learn how
to teach ... they need only to be taught more effective ways of teaching” (“Skinner,” Influence on
Education section). This quote reiterates the need of continuous learning opportunities for all
instructors in order to provide the most efficient pedagogy to students. Skinner believed that the
environment in which a person evolved from was the key component that molds behavior
(eSsortment, para. 8). In the scenario of the young child being toilet trained, the parents’ method
of using positive reinforcement in the child’s familiar environment molds the proper restroom
etiquette desired from the child.
John Watson is quoted as saying “Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my
own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train
him to become any type of specialist I might select – doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and,
yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities,
vocations, and race of his ancestors” (“Watson,” Twelve infants quote section). Watson believed
that combining a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus would produce a new
condition response. Using the toilet training scenario from above, if the parents took the child’s
favorite toy and added the use of a loud horn sound, which creates a sense of fear when the child
did not properly use the toilet would serve as a form of toy manipulation to scare the child into
displaying the desired behavior.
Learning is considered as a process of stimulus-response that one can observe and
manipulate (“Behaviorism,” Behaviorist Education Psychology section). Therefore each
person’s experience with their surrounding environment teaches them to alter their behavior in
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order to maximize positive consequences and minimize adverse consequences (McShane & Von
Glinow, 2005). Once a behavior is viewed as a response accepted by the environment, a person
will be quicker to use their logic to discern the appropriate behavior they wish to portray.
A behavior strength worth mentioning is that a behavior can be predicted in certain
circumstances (McShane & Von Glinow, 2005). In an educational setting, students observe the
actions of others to help determine the acceptable response of the classroom environment. For
example, in a distance education environment, an instructor provides a syllabus that lists
discussion assignments along with grading requirements. The students have the requirements for
the discussions and also have the ability to review the response of other students. In this case, if
the instructor provides feedback to a few of the students stating that their discussion posts
contain unacceptable discussion forum etiquette, then the instructor can predict that the stimulus
used will reduce the occurrence of future disruptions. This will be an opportunity for all the
other students in the class to observe the feedback from the instructor and adjust their class
behavior in order to avoid similar reprimand.
Contrary to the above strengths, behaviorism does have weaknesses. For example, a
learner may find themselves in a situation where the stimulus for the correct response does not
occur; therefore the learner cannot respond (Mergel, 1998). Assuming that the instructor from
distance education scenario mentioned above does not give any discussion forum guidance to the
students. In this instance, lack of direction would leave the students to ponder on the discussion
requirements and also would cause the students to be reluctant in posting to the discussion board
before seeking feedback from other uninformed classmates.
In conclusion, there are many behavior theories that are continuously being studied and
revamped. Behaviorism in regards to instructional design allows instructors and designers to
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collaborate on pedagogy and technology based ideas that will promote effective learning. As
instructional technologies continue to evolve, new strategies will need to be developed that will
allow instructors to observe the learning process of students. Watching the behaviors of how
students engage and understand topics imitates the stimulus to response actions of behaviorism.
When designed efficiently, instructors can measure the behavior responses and modify their
teaching style in a manner that promotes effective pedagogy in a distance education
environment.
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References
Behaviorism. (2009). Retrieved from the EduTech Wiki:
http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Behaviorism
eSsortment (n.d.). B.F. Skinner and behaviorism. Retrieved from
http://www.essortment.com/all/skinnerbf_rcde.htm
McShane, S., Von Glinow, M. (2005). Organizational Behavior. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Mergel, B. (1998). Instructional design and learning theory. Retrieved from
http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm#Behaviorism
Naik, P. (1998). Behaviorism as a theory of personality: A critical look. Retrieved from
http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/naik.html
Skinner, B. F. (1931). The concept of the reflex in the description of behavior. Journal of
General Psychology, 5, 427-458.
Skinner, B.F. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._F._Skinner
Watson, J.B. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Watson