Behaviorist approaches are different from most other perspectives because

they view people as controlled by their environment and specifically that we

are the result of what we have learned from our environment. The early
philosophical base for this learning perspective of personality is English
philosopher, John Locke (1632-1704) who viewed the new born baby as a
blank slate - tabula rasa - on whom the experience of life would write a
specific story.
It is interesting to realize that one of the earliest contributors to learning
theory, Ivan Pavlov, was not even researching personality when he
discovered something that later resulted in his receipt of the Noble prize. This
Russian physiologist was studying the digestive processes in dogs. He had
surgically implanted tubes in the checks of dogs to study the reflexive
secretion of saliva during eating when he noticed a curious thing: after several
feedings the dogs started salivating when they saw food being brought to
them rather than when the food was placed in their mouths. He hypothesized
that the dogs were responding to the sight of the food. To prove this, he
presented food with the clicking of a metronome and discovered that the dogs
soon began to salivate simply by hearing the metronome. This is how Pavlov
discovered classical conditioning.
Pavlov's research was the impetus for the behaviorist perspective. Soon
researchers such as John Watson (1878-1958) would formulate ideas that
became known as behaviorism. Watson's theories are often described as
extreme behaviorism as he felt that psychologists should only study behavior
and not any other processes such as consciousness or feelings because
these are not compatible with objective scientific experimentation. B. F.
Skinner is the best known behaviorist and like Watson, is described as a
radical behaviorist. Skinner believed that all of our behavior is the result of
punishment and reward; this theory forms the principles of operant
conditioning that he proposed.
Activity
Read more about operant conditioning if you wish before you attempt the
following activity.
Identify one habit or behavior in yourself that you would like to change.
Develop a simple structure of rewards and punishments which will assist you
to operationally condition yourself to change this behavior. For example, if you
would like to eliminate a habit of snacking between meals, you might decide to
"punish" yourself with 10 pushups every time you snack between meals. You

might "reward" yourself by giving yourself a dollar before each meal when
snacking before the meal did not occur. You would then need to use your
"snack money reward" toward some fun activity or item for yourself. (Like a
hot fudge sundae! Just kidding.)
Once you have selected the habit and your system of reward, use the
attached diary to track your behavior for one week. Turn a copy of this diary in
to your instructor at the end of the week.

Behaviorism is often used by teachers as a type of learning tool that either

punishes or rewards the student. There are two types of conditioning used.
One is classic conditioning; a famous example of this type of learning is
Pavlovs experiment of dogs salivating when they see food. The other type of
conditioning is operant, which is if a reward follows a stimulus, then your more
apt to get better or more responses in the future. The scientist B.F. Skinner
used reinforcement techniques to teach pigeons to bowl in an alley.

Behaviorism

Definition
Behaviorism is a learning theory that only focuses on objectively observable behaviors and
discounts any independent activities of the mind. Behavior theorists define learning as nothing
more than the acquisition of new behavior based on environmental conditions.
Discussion
Experiments by behaviorists identify conditioning as a universal learning process. There are two
different types of conditioning, each yielding a different behavioral pattern:
1. Classic conditioning occurs when a natural reflex responds to a stimulus. We are biologically
wired so that a certain stimulus will produce a specific response. One of the more common
examples of classical conditioning in the educational environment is in situations where
students exhibit irrational fears and anxieties like fear of failure, fear of public speaking and
general school phobia.
2. Behavioral or operant conditioning occurs when a response to a stimulus is reinforced.
Basically, operant conditioning is a simple feedback system: If a reward or reinforcement follows

the response to a stimulus, then the response becomes more probable in the future. For
example, leading behaviorist B.F. Skinner used reinforcement techniques to teach pigeons to
dance and bowl a ball in a mini-alley.

There have been many criticisms of behaviorism, including the following:

Behaviorism does not account for all kinds of learning, since it disregards the activities of the
mind.
Behaviorism does not explain some learningsuch as the recognition of new language patterns
by young childrenfor which there is no reinforcement mechanism.
Research has shown that animals adapt their reinforced patterns 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.

How Behaviorism Impacts Learning

This theory is relatively simple to understand because it relies only on observable behavior and
describes several universal laws of behavior. Its positive and negative reinforcement techniques
can be very effective such as in treatments for human disorders including autism, anxiety
disorders and antisocial behavior. Behaviorism is often used by teachers who reward or punish
student behaviors.
Behaviorism is often seen in contrast to constructivism. Constructivists are more likely to allow
for experimentation and exploration in the classroom and place a greater emphasis on the
experience of the learner. In contrast to behaviorists, they feel that an understanding of the brain
informs teaching.