Behaviorism
Behaviorism
• The learning theory dominant in the
first half of the 20th Century.
• Throughout the 1950s and 60s
behaviorism remained influential,
although since that time new theories
have begun to make substantial
inroads in general acceptance
Behaviorism
• Learning that emphasizes
observable, objective, measurable
behavior (test scores)
• Discounts mental activities
• Learning is a more or less
permanent change in behavior
Behaviorism
•
The learner adapts to their
environment
• Two famous experiments
– "Dog Salivation Experiment" by Ivan
Petrovich Pavlov
– "Skinner Box" experiment with
pigeons by B.F. Skinner
John B. Watson:
• In 1913, Watson
published "Psychology
as the Behaviorist
Views It."
• Dubbed "Founder of
Behaviorism" for view
that psychology should
be concerned only with
the objective behavior
B.F. Skinner:
• Skinner's
approach was to
create
environments
that resulted in
new, learned
behaviors

How does learning occur?
• Learning is a change in observable
performance
• Behavior adapts to events and
objectives
• Shaping: a gradual strengthening of
the relationship between cue and
behavior

What is the role of memory?
• Acquisition of habits:
Practicing habits
maintains a learner's
readiness to respond
• Disuse results in
"forgetting"

How does transfer occur?
• When experiences are
similar with recognizable
features, the learner can
transfer learning to new
situations
What types of learning are best
explained by this theory?
• Reinforcement by way of
repetition
• instructional cues
• drill and practice
• Goal and objective oriented
• Learning that requires quick
reaction with sure response
Relevant behaviorist elements
• Drill and practice software
• Flash cards
• Goals, objectives, benchmarks,
STANDARDS have behaviorist
components
• Rewards and punishments
• Feedback
How should learning be
evaluated?
• Evaluation should be based on
a predetermined, standardized
set of criteria
• Every learner should be
evaluated based upon the
same set of criteria
Strengths of Behaviorism
• Clearly stated objectives allow the
learner to focus
• Cueing responses allows the learner
to react in a predictable way
• In a stressful situation like combat or
flying a plane, cued responses can be
a very valuable tool
Criticisms of Behaviorism
• Behaviorism is one
dimensional and does not
account for all kinds of
learning, since it disregards
the activities of the mind
Criticisms of Behaviorism
• The learner might find
himself in a situation where
he needs to respond, but
the mental "cues" he has
learned to respond to might
not exist
Criticisms of Behaviorism
• Behaviorism does not explain
some learning--such as the
recognition of new language
patterns by young children--for
which there is no
reinforcement mechanism
Criticisms of Behaviorism
• Animals adapt their habits to new
information
• For instance, a rat can shift its
behavior to respond to changes in the
layout of a maze it had previously
mastered through reinforcements
end