Atkins 1

Brittni Atkins
Professor Mark Hawkes
Educational Psychology
11 April 2014
Behaviorism
When at school, work, or the store observations may be made by people who are
watching others. Some are conversing with each other, a couple may be on the phone, while a
few are trying to get their screaming child to put the toy back where he or she found it. At
sporting events a variety of reactions are formed, from nervousness to excitement, being upset to
happy, and a sense of defeat to triumph. At home, mothers are trying to get their children to do
chores and children are complaining. No matter where people are or what they are doing,
behavior is everywhere. There have been many studies on behavior, except these studies know it
better as behaviorism.
What is behaviorism? According to the textbook Essentials of Educational Psychology
Big Ideas to Guide Effective Teaching by Jeanne Ellis Ormrod, Behaviorism is a theoretical
perspective in which learning and behavior are described and explained in terms of stimulus
response relationships, and motivation is often the result of deficit-based drives. People who
believe in this are known as behaviorists (G1). In another article titled Behaviorism by
George Graham of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy the roots of behaviorism in
psychology come from British Empiricists John Locke and Davide Hume. Hume states,
Psychological behaviorism's historical roots consist, in part, in the classical
associationism of the British Empiricists, foremost John Locke (16321704) and
David Hume (171176). According to classical associationism, intelligent

Atkins 2

behavior is the product of associative learning. As a result of associations or

pairings between perceptual experiences or stimulations on the one hand, and
ideas or thoughts on the other, persons and animals acquire knowledge of their
environment and how to act. Associations enable creatures to discover the causal
structure of the world. Association is most helpfully viewed as the acquisition of
knowledge about relations between events. Intelligence in behavior is a mark of
such knowledge (3).
Behaviorism is not only relevant in todays world; it has been around for a few hundred
years. People have constantly been observing others and wondering why they act the way
they do.
From observing people, psychologists have identified two types of conditioning: classical vs.
operant. According to the website nobelprize.org which gathers its information from Nobel Lectures,
Physiology or Medicine 1901-1921, Ivan Pavlov discovered classical conditioning:
Pavlov's research into the physiology of digestion led him logically to create a
science of conditioned reflexes. In his study of the reflex regulation of the activity
of the digestive glands, Pavlov paid special attention to the phenomenon of
psychic secretion, which is caused by food stimuli at a distance from the animal.
By employing the method --developed by his colleague D. D. Glinskii in 1895 -of establishing fistulas in the ducts of the salivary glands, Pavlov was able to
carry out experiments on the nature of these glands. A series of these experiments
caused Pavlov to reject the subjective interpretation of psychic salivary secretion
and, on the basis of Sechenov's hypothesis, that psychic activity was of a reflex

Atkins 3

nature, to conclude that even here a reflex -- though not a permanent but a
temporary or conditioned one -- was involved (1).
So by this study it was determined that classical conditioning had an unconditioned stimulus,
unconditioned response, a neutral stimulus, conditioned stimulus, conditioned response, generalization,
and extinction. The second type of conditioning, which is operant conditioning, was discovered by
Edward L. Thorndike but later was redefined by B. Frederic Skinner. According to Saul McLeod of
simplypsychology.org, the outcome of Skinners experiment was three responses;
Neutral Operants is a response from environment that did not increase or
decrease the probability of a behavior being repeated.
Reinforcers are a response from the environment that increases the probability of
a behavior being repeated. The Reinforcers can be positive or negative.
Punishers which is a response from the environment that decreases the likelihood
of a behavior being repeated, punishment weakens the behavior (1).
One of the best places to observe people is in a school. This is because it is easy to see why students
are acting the way they are because of their surroundings. For example, if a student is having a bad day
because the students friend said something to them that was offensive, the student might take it out on
the teacher by refusing to participate in the classroom activity. Another example would be if a student
came from an abusive home, and refused to participate in P.E because the student does not want to get
hit by a ball or accidently get ran into. In the classroom teachers can use four basic methods to
influence behavior. In her textbook, Ormrod states the four methods are

Positive Reinforcement-- the response increases when a new stimulus is

presented. An example of this would be a student getting praised for writing a

Atkins 4

well written essay, therefore, she continues to write all her assignments well

(63).
Negative Reinforcement-- the response increases when a previously existing
stimulus is removed. An example would be a student lying to a teacher about
copying homework. So the student begins lying to other staff members when

an uncomfortable moment arrives (63).

Presentation Punishment-- the response decreases when a new stimulus is
presented. An example would be a student getting in trouble for teasing

another about a sore topic. The student then teases others less and less (63).
Removal Punishment-- the response decreases when a previously existing
stimulus is removed. An example would be a student getting kicked off a team
for underage drinking. The student then quits drinking (63).

From these four methods, there is a wide range to choose from when confronting behaviorism in the
classroom. While using these methods in the classroom, students can be influenced by others upon
observing how other students are acting and the response they receive from their teacher, therefore these
methods can be useful in promoting better behaviors, while reducing inappropriate ones.
When there are no inappropriate behaviors going on in the classroom, it makes for an
environment that is conducive to learning. In Jeanne Ormods textbook she promotes creating an
environment conducive to learning:

Arrange the classroom to maximize attention and minimize disruption.

Ex: Split up friends who get off task (323).

Communicate acceptance, caring, and respect for every student. Ex: Have
students write in a journal everyday of their feelings and thoughts, along with
questions (323).

Atkins 5

Improve relationships that started off badly. Ex: Meet one on one with the

student to address the problem (324).

Create a sense of community and belongingness. Ex: Use competitiveness
to create a sense of playfulness only when all students have an equal chance of

winning (325).
Enforce rules consistently and equitably. Ex: Dont pick favorites, make
sure what is allowed of one student, is allowed of others (326).

These are only a few ways to keep classrooms in tip top shape. Depending on the students, and the
atmosphere of the classroom, these would be altered on a day to day basis. Of these five methods, there
is not one that is less important than the other. Students are put in teachers care for up to eight hours a
day, and while there, their behavior should be strongly reflected on the teacher, out-side factors should
only represent a small part of their behavior while at school.
As seen throughout this paper, behaviorism has always been and will always be a part of our daily
lives. For some, it might just be observing people at social events, for others it will be raising a kid while
guiding them with appropriate behaviors. For teachers, it will be using four basic methods that will lead
to providing an environment conducive to learning.

Works Cited
Graham, George. "Behaviorism." Stanford University. Stanford University, 26 May 2000. Web.
11 Apr. 2014.

Atkins 6

Ivan Pavlov - Biographical". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 11 Apr 2014.
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1904/pavlov-bio.html
McLeod, S. A. (2007). Skinner - Operant Conditioning. Retrieved from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html
Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis. "Chapter 2: Learning, Cognition, and Memory." Essentials of Educational
Psychology: Big Ideas to Guide Effective Teaching. 3d ed. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 18.
Print.
Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis. "Chapter 3: Learning in Context." Essentials of Educational Psychology:
Big Ideas to Guide Effective Teaching. 3d ed. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 63. Print.
Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis. "Chapter 9: Strategies for Creating an Effective Classroom Environment.
Essentials of Educational Psychology: Big Ideas to Guide Effective Teaching. 3d ed.
Boston: Pearson, 2012. 323-328. Print.