Behaviorism is a theory that suggests that the environment shapes human behavior. It’s a systematic approach to understanding the behavior of humans and other animals.
Behaviorism is a psychological learning theory that focuses on observable behaviors and how they are influenced by environmental stimuli. This theory suggests that individuals learn new behaviors through conditioning, which involves associations between stimuli and responses.
Key figures in behaviorism include Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner, who conducted experiments to demonstrate how behavior can be shaped through reinforcement and punishment. Behaviorism has been applied in various fields, such as education, therapy, and animal training, to understand and modify behavior effectively.
Behaviorism focuses on external observable behaviors, explained through principles like conditioning, reinforcement, punishment rather than internal mental states. While influential, it fails to account for the full complexity of human learning and experience.
Key aspects of behaviorism as a psychological learning theory:
Introduction to Behaviorism
- Developed in the early 20th century as a theory of learning based on observable behaviors and actions rather than internal mental states or consciousness
- Founded by psychologists like John B. Watson, B.F. Skinner, Ivan Pavlov
- Focuses on conditioning behaviors through reinforcement and punishment
Key Principles
- Behavior is shaped by positive and negative reinforcements from the external environment rather than internal mental processes
- All behaviors are acquired through conditioning
- Conditioning occurs through association, reinforcement and punishment
Classical Conditioning
- Associating a natural reflex with a new neutral stimulus results in a learned reflexive behavior
- Ex: Associating the sound of a bell (originally a neutral stimulus) with the presentation of food (natural reflex of salivating) results in a conditioned response of salivating at the sound of the bell
Operant Conditioning
- Using reinforcement and punishment to modify voluntary behaviors
- Ex: Giving treats and praise (positive reinforcement) for a dog sitting on command increases the likelihood the behavior will be repeated
Contributions and Criticisms
- Provided scientific framework for studying how behaviors are learned and modified
- Principles of reinforcement widely applied (education, animal training)
- Ignores complex human cognitive abilities, emotions, creativity
Behaviorism is a branch of psychology that focuses on how people learn through their interactions with the environment. It’s based on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning, which is a process of reinforcement and punishment.
Behaviorism has two types of conditioning:
- Classical Conditioning
- Operant Conditioning Radical Behaviorism
It assumes that behavior is either a reflex evoked by the pairing of certain antecedent stimuli.
Behaviorism has guided educators over the years in thinking about strategies to change behavior. Lessons learned from Behaviorism have shown that rewards are key to changing unacceptable behavior to acceptable behavior.
In defining behavior, behaviorist learning theories emphasize changes in behavior that result from stimulus-response associations made by the learner. John B. Watson (1878-1958) and B. F. Skinner (1904-1990) are the two principal originators of behaviorist approaches to learning.