The Behavioral Approach

Learning Approach
Learning:
A relatively permanent change in behavior
or knowledge due to experience.
Basic Premise
There is no such thing as personality.
Ego, archetype, self
What people call personality is merely
how everyone would behave under a
specified set of conditions.

Premise
Behavior can be controlled by
consequences- type of reinforcement
following the behavior
Behavior and learning theorists emphasize
experience and learning as the primary
forces that shape human behavior
Explore personality experimentally by
studying behavior in laboratory settings
Dollard and Miller psychoanalytic
learning theory
Skinner radical behaviorism


Driscoll (2000) defines learning as a
persisting change in human performance or
performance potential[which] must come
about as a result of the learners experience
and interaction with the world.
These two ideas the importance of
measurable and observable performance and
impact of the environment, comprise
foundational principle of the behaviorist
approach of learning.
Initially, the theory contended that certain
behavioral responses come to be associated
with specific environmental stimuli.
Skinner argued that a behavior is more
likely to reoccur if it has been reinforced or
rewarded.
These principle of behaviorism can be
used for classroom management.
For example a teacher can give reward to
the student who are paying attention in the
classroom.
Development of
Behavior Through Learning
Reinforcement is anything that increases
the likelihood of a response
Operant behaviors responses emitted
without a stimulus necessarily being present
Operant conditioning involves shaping and
reinforcing operant behaviors
Shaping deliberately molding the organisms
responses through series of reinforcements in
order to achieve a desired behavior
Schedules and Types of Reinforcement
Continuous reinforcement
Interval reinforcement
Fixed interval
Variable interval
Ratio reinforcement
Fixed ratio
Variable ratio
Types of reinforcement
Psychotherapy
and Behavioral Change
Skinners attitude toward therapy is
pragmatic and curative
Behavior modification seeks to eliminate
undesired behaviors by changing the
environment within which they occur
Token economy used in many institutional
settings for reinforcement of appropriate
behaviors
Kinds of Behavior : Respondent
and Operant
Respondent behavior: responses resulting
from specific environmental stimuli
Ex: Reflexes (knee jerk)
Depends on reinforcement, directly related
to physical stimulus
Conditioning: Higher level respondent
behavior
Learning to substitute one stimulus for another

Kinds of Behavior: Operant
Behavior
Not all behavior is a direct response to
environmental stimuli (respondent
behavior).
Nature and frequency of behavior
determined by reinforcement following
behavior
Behavior that operates on the
environment and changes it
Operant Conditioning
Operant Behaviour and Conditioning
While it is commonly known that
behaviour is affected by its
consequences, Skinner's theory of
operant conditioning further states that
the process does not require repeated
efforts, but is instead an immediate
reaction to a familiar stimulus.
Beginnings of the Rat & Food
Experiment

In an experiment with a rat using food as a
reward (which would work for many of us,
as well!):
The rat was placed in a box
Over the course of a few days, food was
occasionally delivered through an
automatic dispenser
Before long, the rat approached the food
tray as soon as the sound of the
dispenser was heard, clearly anticipating
the arrival of more food


The Next Step of the
Experiment

Researchers raised a small lever on
the wall of the box and when the rat
touched it, the food dispenser
provided a snack.
After the first self-induced meal, the
rat repeatedly touched the lever in
order to get more food (smart rat!)

To the hungry rodent, the sound of the
dispenser became a reinforcer when it
was first associated with feedings and
continued to be so until after a while
researchers stopped providing food
when the lever was pressed. Soon
after that, the rat stopped touching the
lever.
Positive and Negative
Reinforcers and the
Uniqueness of Humans

Reinforcers can be positive or negative
and both are used to strengthen
behaviour. Unlike animals, humans (the
big ones as well as the little ones) often
respond to verbal operants by:
taking advice
listening to the warnings of others
and obeying given rules and laws

How Does All This Relate to
Children?

One of the aspects important to human
behaviour, though, is the feelings associated
with behaviour that is controlled by
conditioning.
When previous behaviours have been
rewarded, children are likely to repeat those
behaviours happily and willingly, feeling that
they are doing what they 'want' to be doing.
If, on the other hand, children choose
behaviours in order to avoid a repeat of
negative reinforcement, they may behave
appropriately, but will be inclined to feel that
their freedoms are being suppressed.
Implication of the behaviourism
theory in teaching and learning
focussing on curriculum,
instruction and assessment:

Behaviorism defines learning as a change in
observable behaviors due to environmental stimuli.
Using behaviorist learning theories, a teacher
begins a lesson on milk production by having the
children gather during group time on a large
carpet. As the children sit on the carpet facing the
teacher only, he or she presents the book, The Milk
Makers, by Gail Gibbons.
The children face only the teacher to avoid
undesirable reinforcement that could distract from
the goal of the lesson. The teacher uses the picture
book to explain the topic because the children are
engaged with the visual material as the teacher
narrates the pictures.
As the children listen to the story, they
receive a summary of the information they
are expected to learn.

When the teacher is finished reading the
story, he or she re-explains the four stages of
milk production.
As she summarizes the information, she
introduces four pictures that illustrate each
stage. After the summary, the teacher passes
each child a set of pictures to view.
The teacher tests the children on their
understanding by having them hold up the
pictures in sequential order.

The assessment is based on both classical and
operant conditioning. Each child will hold up a
picture, the unconditioned response, when the teacher
asks for a certain card, the unconditioned stimulus.
The teachers positive feedback, a conditioned
stimulus, will prompt the correct choice, the
conditioned response, according to the lesson.

Operant conditioning is utilized as the
children are reinforced with stickers and
chosen activities.
- During the teachers assessment the
children hold up one picture at a
time. The children face the teacher so
each child is focusing on the appropriate
picture and the teachers feedback. Each
child who holds up the appropriate picture
receives a star.
When a child has received four stars in a
row, he or she may leave the group area
for a chosen activity. The teacher retests
the remaining children until each has
mastered the material.

Behaviorist learning theories simplify lessons
so that the childs focused attention and the
teachers curriculum goals remain specific.
Because of the efficiency of a behaviorist
lesson plan in terms of planning, execution,
and assessment, the teacher has more time
for alternate classroom tasks.
The clear structure of a behaviorist lesson
can be especially beneficial for children who
are easily distracted or over-
stimulated. However, the categorical focus of
behaviorism can be wearisome for children in
need of variety and stimulation.

What the teacher does under the
Behaviourist theory?
A teacher uses behaviourism to manage
his/her
Teacher could use operant
conditioning to reward or punish
his/her students
-When a student does well on a test, the
teacher could use candy as an incentive
to continue do well on a test (positive
reinforcement).
-Whenever a student misbehave, the
teacher may prevent the student from
going outside during recent
(punishment)

CLASSROOM IMPLICATIONS:
(WHAT THE STUDENTS DO
UNDER THIs THEORY)

Under this theory, a student learns what behaviors are
or are not appropriate
-A student received a bad behaviour mark for talking
during the class. The bad behaviour mark (or
punishment) will teach the student that talking while
the teacher is talking is not an appropriate behaviour.

A student could also be classically conditioned to
behave a certain way in a classroom
-If student realize that they always have pop quizzes
when their teacher is carrying an orange-colored
folder, they will learn to prepare for a pop quiz at the
sight of the orange-colored folder, even if there is not
a pop quiz.

MY CLASSROOM:

I would use this behaviourist theory in my
classroom for classroom management
purposes
Providing positive reinforcements to reward
appropriate behaviour, and punishments to
demean in appropriate behaviour will allow
students to become familiar with my
classroom expectations.
-As positive reinforcement, I would reward my
students with Kelly Dollars when he /she
get As on tests or ask thought-provoking
questions
-Kelly dollars can be exchanged for bonus
points, candy, or a free homework grade (if a
student missed a homework assignment).

Negative reinforcement could be used
to help students behave according to
my rules and expectations:

-if a student has trouble in completing
assignments on time, I would continually call
home and remind the students that his/her
grade is getting lower and lower due to the
amount of late work he/she turns in.
If the students want their grade to go up and
for me to stop calling home, he/she will be
begin to complete assignments on time.
Other alternatives I can do is, threating the
students that I will call to home and inform to
the students parents about the issue. This
will eventually make the students to feel
scared and do their work properly.