Running head: CONSTRUCTIVISM AND BEHAVIORISIM COMPARISION
Applying Constructivism and Behaviorism in Children Daily Activities
Ashwaq Ahmed Alzahrani
Virginia Tech University
EDIT 5744 – Learning Theories for Instructional Design
Application Paper
December 10, 2012
1
CONSTRUCTIVISM AND BEHAVIORISIM COMPARISION
2
Abstract
The following paper describes the differences between two major paradigms which are
constructivism and behaviorism according to their definition and exploring how they view
learning and knowledge differently. In order to emphasize the importance of applying the
theories in educational sittings, several scenarios which are taken from the daycare waddler room
has been examined and explained in details to support each theory. There are also several
constructivists and behaviorists mentioned with their perspectives due to their huge impact on
each theory. Genetic Epistemology was the theory chosen from constructivism in order to be
specific on describing applying constructivism. Behaviorism, on the other hand, has a specific
clear method to be applied in any situation.
CONSTRUCTIVISM AND BEHAVIORISIM COMPARISION
3
Definitions and positions towards learning and knowledge
There was unanimous saying “knowledge is not poured into others, but rather constructed
within them”. This beautiful saying leads to think of the role of knowledge and learning in
constructivism. First, what is constructivism?, can constructivism be limited to a definition?. It
has been always difficult to find definition to restrain the theory to it, but there are views on what
it is. “Constructivism is a theory of learning, and it is also a theory of knowing. It is an
epistemological concept that draws from a variety of fields, including philosophy, psychology,
and science” (Walker & Lambert, 1995, p. 1). There are two aspects constructivism is looking at
differently than behaviorism which are knowledge, and learning.
First of all, constructivists view knowledge to be essentially grounded in the individual
mind, but it needs to be constructed by roles and facts from interacting and reasoning with the
environment. Second, Bruner the constructivist defines learning as a process of comparing new
experience with knowledge constructed from previous experience, resulting in the reinforcing or
adaptation of that knowledge. The final clarification which needs to be addressed is defining the
genetic epistemology - the theory applied in the scenario which is going to be explained later in
this paper. “Genetic epistemology is typically understood as a theory of cognitive development
in individuals” (Kitchener, 1986). What is genetic epistemology? According to Piaget (Piaget,
1970, p. 30), “Genetic epistemology attempts to explain knowledge, and in particular scientific
knowledge, on the basis of its history, its sociogenesis, and especially the psychological origins
of the notions and operations upon which it is based”.
Now we need to explain and define what behaviorism means, and how it observes
knowledge, and learning. What makes it easier to understand more than constructivism; is the
CONSTRUCTIVISM AND BEHAVIORISIM COMPARISION
4
idea of “stick to the facts of behavior...” (Driscoll, 2005, p. 32). This theory was introduced by
Watson in 1913 and he viewed. Because behaviorism is a theory of psychology, Watson believed
that psychology should focus on observable behavior, or by his words “psychology should be
concerned only with the objective data of behaviorism”. Therefore, behaviorism as skinner
believes; is all about controlling efficient relationships between environmental variables and
behavior.
After establishing the meaning of behaviorism; it is equally important it examine the way
it observes knowledge and learning. First, knowledge to behaviorists is something that cannot be
seen or touched; therefore it is within the ‘black box’ phrase. Any relation to abstract words as in
process, concise, thinking… and so on, are in the black box. Behaviorists never look deep in
what is unobservable (Eischens, 2008). Second, behavior theorists define learning as nothing
more than the acquisition of new behavior based on environmental conditions. B. F. Skinner is
also using the metaphor of the black box as an approach to understanding learning and behavior.
Driscoll explains that “the learner is a black box and nothing is known about what goes inside”
because to behaviorists whatever is inside the black box does not determine how the behavior is
controlled by “its environmental antecedents and consequences” (1949, P: 32). In Skinner’s
approach to the psychology and learning he believed that in terms of environmental cues and
results, behavior can be completely understood, cues are antecedents, and results are
consequences. Eduard R. Guthrie believed that “stimuli which are acting at the time of a
response tend on their reoccurrence to evoke that response” (Driscoll, 1949, p, 32). The response
is associated with the last stimulus. E.C. Tolman believed that purpose guides the behavior
“purposive behavior” (Driscoll, 1949, p, 32). Finally, Hall believed that some stimuli become
internally attached to some responses because they were not always observable. Therefor
5
CONSTRUCTIVISM AND BEHAVIORISIM COMPARISION
knowledge is considered to be in the black box, and unless the behavior continues to unpaper it is
also in the black box, and finally the sources of knowledge are the environmental cues.
Applying Genetic Epistemology
“A baby could not have knowledge… but challenges to this view arose”
John D. Bransford, (2000, p, 79)
As been defined above, Genetic Epistemology is a theory of cognitive development in
individuals. During the latest years, many institutions are applying genetic epistemology as a
constructivism theory, due to, as Piaget believed, its ability to allow children acquire knowledge
from an accumulation of experience. There are different types of knowledge such as physical,
mathematical, and social knowledge. The physical knowledge which is about understanding
objects in the world (Piaget, 1969) is applied when children use their senses to understand and
identify cubes' materials, colors, and sizes. In the scenario written in this section, knowledge was
obtained by collecting building blocks of the same material and managing to build a tower of
those blocks.
Implementation
In a waddler room, there are eight children between the ages of ten to sixteen months old
(sensorimotor period), and in order to accomplish the daycare policy to make sure that every
child is receiving the care and guidance needed, they managed to assign one caregiver to every
four children. Those children are been gathered according to different criteria of child’s ability to
sit, crawl or walk, and ability to feed by themselves or depending on others. The toys are selected
upon safety and easy to play with and the ability to understand how it functions. Among those
CONSTRUCTIVISM AND BEHAVIORISIM COMPARISION
6
children there is a boy named Saad, he is 16 months old, and his caregiver is Janis. Saad is
interested in building blocks, and Rock-a-Stack. When he started to play, he gathers toys from
the floor. He chooses two different kinds of cubes one is soft, lightweight building block and the
other is hard plastic with heavier weight. He walks to his caregiver and displays his building
blocks in front of her and starts to play with them. The cubes are not matching together. Janis
offers him another cube of the same soft, light weighted by saying "you can play with these,
these go together". Saad is mumbling "Emmm", and looks at the cube that Janis gave him. He
puts one over the other carefully and the caregiver continues to give him more of the same kind
of blocks, and he continues to build, and along with that, Janis praises him. When he finishes his
building the caregiver gives him a clap and says “good job”.
Methodology
The daycare is the first actual communication between the child and his/her community.
It is important to facilitate the child’s first interaction in order to make sure the development is
consequent and progressed. Among the daycare’s rooms, a waddler room is designed to maintain
the safety and interest of the child. As Piaget believes that knowledge is constructed and
reconstructed when children interact with their environment. The daycare characteristics
defiantly fall in to the category of a supporting environment. One of the fundamental tools to
teach children the relations between objects and teach them skills that actually will help them in
real life is by building blocks. This tool would help them select materials they want to use, or use
their brains to coordinate between each block. By observing Saad the 16 months old, building
blocks are his favorite toy. His age falls in to the sensorimotor period from birth to two years. In
this age children move towards to being able to mentally represent objects and events were they
can act and use symbols during their mental transition (Piaget, 1951). Saad, the child in the
7
CONSTRUCTIVISM AND BEHAVIORISIM COMPARISION
scenario, looks at the block as a way to pail up and create a high building. The physical
knowledge which is also called empirical knowledge is obtained when the child is recognizing
the touch, weight, and color of the cubes. This allows them to experience those elements of a
concrete object and “internally represent these experiences results in cognitive schemas which
stand as organized collections of properties of objects. Schemas are essentially passive modes of
organization (Brainerd, 1978), and learning occurs when new information is added to them.”
(Driscoll, 2005, p, 192).
Applying Behaviorism
“When born our mind is 'tabula rasa' (a blank slate)”
John D. Bransford, (2000, p,79)
Behaviorism, also called the behavioral approach, was the primary paradigm in
psychology between 1920s to 1950. Controlled observation and measurement of behavior are the
way to support theories by realistic data. The next step after defining behaviorism, we need to
mention the earliest funders of behaviorism. Fist, Ivan Pavlov who is a Russian physiologist,
conducted a research on the digestive systems of dogs which led to his discovery of the classical
conditioning process. Second, there is An American psychologist named John B. Watson who
became one of the strongest advocates of behaviorism. Finally, there is Psychologist B.F.
Skinner which demonstrated the effect of punishment and reinforcement on behavior.
CONSTRUCTIVISM AND BEHAVIORISIM COMPARISION
8
Implementation
In the same waddler room, there are several behavior approaches applied by the
caregivers to control the behavior of the little children. For example, when it is nap time, the
caregiver turn on a sleepy music and start to lay down some mattresses on the floor. The children
are still playing with the toys which are surrounding them everywhere. But as soon as the lights
turn off and the music is on, the children directly either crawl or walk to their mattresses and
sleep while the caregiver is sitting in the middle between them to maintain their cam. Another
example of behaviorism is when it is time to go out in the playground. As soon as the caregiver
starts putting the children’s coats on, they immediately go towards the rooms back door that
leads to the playground and wait until it is opened.
Methodology
To understand the method applied in the scenario mentioned above, the stimuli and
response need to be pointed out. From the first situation (experiment) when the children are still
playing the caregiver turns on the sleepy music (natural stimulus) but they did not respond. But
when she couples turning the lights off (unconditioned stimulus) with the music the children
respond. In the other example the children linked between wearing the coats and time to go out.
Defiantly the caregivers had applied this method every day for several months during the
semester therefor the children are used to the same consistent system. “All children have learned
something about the relationship of things presented in their environment and react accordingly”
(cf. Rescorla, 1988). Finally, in Behaviorism expecting behaviors and responses are always
critical.
CONSTRUCTIVISM AND BEHAVIORISIM COMPARISION
9
Conclusion
This paper presents the comparison between constructivism and behaviorism on how
each one views knowledge, and learning. To constructivism, knowledge actively constructed by
the learner and not passive. Learning is a result of adapting new experience with knowledge
constructed previously, “learning is development and development is learning” (Bransford, J. D.
2000, p, 95). On the other hand, behaviorism has the phrase of the black box to pure in any
unobservable knowledge and learning and focus on the observable and measurable changes on
behavior that comes as a result of that learning and knowledge. To support these theories, there
are several examples taken from the waddler room in the daycare by witnessing the children
activities and the caregivers’ attention to them, and explain the method behind those activities.
This shows the importance of having supported theories wither old or new, applied in
educational or foundational fields to maintain a physical and mental healthy growth for young
children.
CONSTRUCTIVISM AND BEHAVIORISIM COMPARISION
10
References
Bransford, J., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (2000). How people learn (2nd edition).
Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
Bruner, J. (1986). Actual minds, possible worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of Learning for Instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Eischens, A. D. (2008). Reconciling the mental and the behavioral: An evaluation of
behaviorism. Retrieved from www.personalityreseach.org/papers/eischens.html
11.04.2008.
Guthrie, E.R. (1933). Association as a function of the time interval. Psychological Review, 37,
412-428.
Jaworski, B. (1991). Interpretations of a constructivist philosophy in mathematics teaching.
Unpublished PhD Thesis. Milton Keynes: Open University
Johnson, P. A. (2007). Constructivism: A short summary. Retrieved from
http://academics.sru.edu/cmste/constructivism4.doc.
Rescolra, R. A. (1988). Pavlovian conditioning. American Psychologists, 43(3,151-160
Skinner, B. F. (1938). The behavior of organisms: An experimental analysis. Englewood Cliffs,
NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Tolman, E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps in rats and men. Psychological Review, 55, 189-208.
Tsou, J. Y. (2006). Genetic epistemology and piaget's philosophy of science: Piaget vs. kuhn on
scientific progress. Theory & Psychology, 16(2), 203-224. doi:
10.1177/0959354306062536
CONSTRUCTIVISM AND BEHAVIORISIM COMPARISION
Walker, D. and Lambert, L. (1995), "Learning and leading theory: a century in the making", in
Lambert, L., Walker, D., Zimmerman, D., Cooper, ]., Lambert, M., Gardner, M., and
Slack, P.J. Ford (Eds.), The Constructivist Leader, Teachers College Press, New York,
NY, pp. 1-27.
Watson, J. B. (1913). Psychology as the behaviorist views it. Psychological Review, 20, 158177.
11