The Academy of Graduates

School of Languages
Department of English

A COMPARISON
BETWEEN BEHAVIORIST
AND COGNITIVE THEORY
OF ACQUISITION

By Zubaydah Alqadi

An SLA assignments for 1st semester students

2023
:Introduction

The main difference between behavioral and cognitive learning theories is

that behavioral learning theory only focuses on external observable behavior while
cognitive learning theory focuses on internal mental processes. Behaviorism and
cognitivism are two theories that explain the learning process of human beings.
Behaviorist approach was developed by John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner in the early
twentieth century while cognitive development theory was developed by Jean Piaget
as a response to Behaviorism. Behavioral approach focuses on behaviors while
cognitive approach focuses on cognitive processes like memory and decision making.

:Behaviorism

Behavioral learning theory is a learning theory that focuses on observable behaviors

and discounts any independent mental activity. According to this theory, learning is
considered to occur only when we can see the results. This is because behaviorists are
interested in seeing a change in behavior. Moreover, the acquisition of new behavior
.based on environmental conditions
:Behavior learning occur

Behaviorism equates learning with changes in either the form or

frequency of observable performance. Learning is accomplished when a proper
response is demonstrated following the presentation of a specific environmental
stimulus. For example, when presented with a math flashcard showing the equation “2
+ 4 = ?” the learner replies with the answer of “6.” The equation is the stimulus and
the proper answer is the associated response. The key elements are the stimulus, the
response, and the association between the two. Of primary concern is how the
.association between the stimulus and response is made, strengthened, and maintained

Although both learner and environmental factors are considered

important by behaviorists, environmental conditions receive the greatest emphasis.
Behaviorists assess the learners to determine at what point to begin instruction as well
as to determine which reinforces are most effective for a particular student. The most
critical factor, however, is the arrangement of stimuli and consequences within the
environment.

Types of behaviorism:

There are two main types of behaviorism as classic conditioning and behavioral or
operant conditioning. Classical conditioning is concerned with involuntary responses
or natural reflexes to stimuli. A student’s irrational fears or anxieties like fear of
public speaking is an example. Operant conditioning, on the other hand, occurs when
a response to a stimulus is reinforced. Here, if a certain response to a stimulus is
rewarded, that response is more likely to be repeated. If it’s punished, it’s not likely to
be repeated. The following diagram explains this concept in detail.-

Limitations of Behavioral Theory:

 Ignores thought, motivation and cognition

 Cannot explain all forms of learning since it only focuses on the observable
changes in the behavior and disregards the activities of the mind (for example, a
child picking up a language)
 Ignores social dimensions of learning
Cognitivism:

In the late 1950s, learning theory began to make a shift away from the use of
behavioral models to an approach that relied on learning theories and models from the
cognitive sciences. Snelbecker, (1983) stated that psychologists and educators began
to de-emphasize a concern with overt, observable behavior and stressed instead more
complex cognitive processes such as thinking, problem solving, language, concept
formation and information processing. This theory is credited to Jean Piaget, an
educational psychologist who believed that learners actively construct knowledge
based on their existing cognitive structures. Moreover, this cognitive learning is based
on individuals cognitively processing input to result in a behavior. There are various
elements in mental processes such as organizing, interpreting, categorizing, attention,
forming generalizations, etc.

Cognitive learning occur:

Bower & Hilgard (1981) state that cognitive theories stress the acquisition of
knowledge and internal mental structures and, as such, are closer to the rationalist end
of the epistemology continuum. Learning is equated with discrete changes between
states of knowledge rather than with changes in the probability of response. Cognitive
theories focus on the conceptualization of students’ learning processes and address the
issues of how information is received, organized, stored, and retrieved by the mind.
Jonassen(1991)illustrate that learning is concerned not so much with what learners do
but with what they know and how they come to acquire it. Knowledge acquisition is
described as a mental activity that entails internal coding and structuring by the
learner. The learner is viewed as a very active participant in the learning process.

Cognitive categories:

We can further categorize cognitive learning theory into two groups: Cognitive
Behavioral Theory (CBT) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). CBT focuses on the
role of cognition in the behavioral pattern of individuals. SCT describes the influence
of individual experiences, the actions of others, and environmental factors on
individual behaviors. Moreover, there are three main variables in SCT: behavioral
factors, environmental factors (extrinsic factors), and personal factors (intrinsic
factors). These three variables interrelate with each other, causing learning to occur.

Conclusion:
The way we define learning and what we believe about the way learning occurs has
important implications for situations in which we want to facilitate changes in what
people know and/or do. Learning theories provide instructional designers with
verified instructional strategies and techniques for facilitating learning as well as a
foundation for intelligent strategy selection.
Behavioral learning theory is a learning theory that focuses on
observable behaviors and discounts any independent mental activity. In contrast,
cognitive learning theory is a broad learning theory that explains how humans’ mind
work while they learn. The main difference between behavioral and cognitive learning
theory is that the former focuses on observable behaviors while the latter focuses on
mental activities and processes.

References:
Ertmer, P., & Newby, T. (2013). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism:

Comparing Critical Features From an Instructional Design Perspective (Vol.

26). Wiley Online Library.

Hasa, B. (2020, April 29). Difference Between Behavioral and Cognitive Learning

Theories. Pediaa.Com. https://pediaa.com/difference-between-behavioral-and-

cognitive-learning-theories/