"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.“
John B. Watson 1878-1958
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An approach to psychology
that emphasizes observable
measurable behavior . . .
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Behaviorism
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Behaviorism
Summary of Behaviorism
History
Examples
Comparison
Webliography
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Summary of the theory
In relationship to technology
BEHAVIORISM: Correct responses must be followed up with
immediate reinforcement or feedback.
TECHNOLOGY: Immediate feedback can be given in the form of
sounds, animation, color and audio.
BEHAVIORISM: The learner has learned something when you can
observe his behavior.
TECHNOLOGY: The score or progression element and the evaluation
element of a program is a way to observe the learner and to see if the
learner has learned.
BEHAVIORISM: There must be definite goals to accomplish.
TECHNOLOGY: The first level of a program must be mastered
before the learner can go on to a next level.
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Summary of the theory … continued
BEHAVIORISM: The environment in which the learning is taking
place, must be controlled.
TECHNOLOGY: The stimuli can be changed in a program if the
response is not satisfactory.
BEHAVIORISM: In Behaviorism a transfer of knowledge is taking
place.
TECHNOLOGY: Problems can be randomized and the same problem
can be given over and over again till the learner gets it
right. (repetition)
BEHAVIORISM: Extrinsic motivation is playing a big role in
behaviorism.
TECHNOLOGY: The Learner wants to get a better score and he is
extrinsically motivated.
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Summary of the theory … continued
BEHAVIORISM: Behaviorism is all about a stimulus and response
action.
TECHNOLOGY: There is a automatic adjustment level in computer
software.
BEHAVIORISM: Learning is the change of behavior where stimuli in
the environment has an influence on the learning and behavior or the
learner.
TECHNOLOGY: There is a stimuli the entire time (drills, assimilation's
and tutorials).
BEHAVIORISM: Learning is taking place through memorization.
TECHNOLOGY: Drill programs will be effective because of
repetition.
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History
PAVLOV (1849 - 1936)
Studied animals’ responses to conditioning
(dog & bell).
WATSON (1878 - 1958)
Studied stimulus-response reactions to various situations
(rats & maze).
SKINNER (1904 - 1990)
Believed you could take an animal / person, and respond
with a pattern of positive reinforcement to repeat a
behavior or negative reinforcement to stop a behavior.
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Examples of Behaviorism
• The best known form
•
Pavlov
of behaviorism is
conditioned,
or
classical conditioning,
trained,
his
dog
and the most famous
to
react
at
the
example is Pavlov’s
sound
of
a
bell.
dog.
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Classical Conditioning
Video Clip of “Seabiscuit”
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Aversion Therapy
• In order to get patients
to behave according to
the “norm”, some
researchers, parents and
teachers have applied
aversion therapy. A
negative reward for
unwanted behavior.
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Comparison
• BEHAVIORISM
• COGNITIVISM
• CONSTRUCTIVISM
• SITUATED LEARNING
• ACTIVITY STRUCTURES
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Comparison
BEHAVIORISM –
Behaviors can be observed and measured. It views the
mind as a "black box" in the sense that response to
stimulus can be observed quantitatively, totally
ignoring the possibility of thought processes.
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Comparison
COGNITIVISM Learning is an active process, learners construct new
ideas or concepts based on their knowledge. The
learner selects information, constructs hypotheses, and
makes decisions, relying on a cognitive structure.
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Comparison
CONSTRUCTIVISM –
Learners construct their own interpretation based on
their perceptions of experiences; an individual's
knowledge is a function of prior experiences, and
beliefs.
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Comparison
SITUATED LEARNING –
Learning is a function of the activity, context and
culture in which it occurs (i.e. it is situated). This
contrasts with traditional classroom learning activities
which involve knowledge that is often presented in an
abstract form and out of context. Social interaction is
a critical component of situated.
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Comparison
ACTIVITY STRUCTURES –
Is NOT a model, lesson plan, step-by-step directions, or
a prescription. An activity structure is a "thinking
tool" in which teachers are Instructional Designers. It
depicts only what students DO without reference to
the content area or the level of learning occurring.
Webliography - ALL
 http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/br
enda.htm#The%20Basics%20of%20Behaviorism
 http://hagar.up.ac.za/catts/learner/hwol/1998/Behaviorism.htm
 http://www.forerunner.com/forerunner/X0497_DeMar__Behaviorism.html
 http://tip.psychology.org/bruner.html
 http://www.qesn.meq.gouv.qc.ca/cc/projects/structures.htm
 Seabiscuit, Universal Studios and DreamWorks Pictures, 2003
By: Rich Reed, Kent Yamasaki and Susie Kester