College of

Teacher Education

PED05 Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching

Midterm, 1st sem. A.Y. 2021 - 2022

LESSON 11 – NEO-BEHAVIORISM
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Overview:

The theory of behaviorism focuses on the study of observable

and measurable behavior. It emphasizes that behavior is mostly
learned through conditioning and reinforcement (rewards and
punishment). It does not give much attention to the mind and
the possibility of thought processes occurring in the mind.

As behaviorism developed, one more sub-branch came out to fill in the gap between behaviorism
and cognitive learning beliefs. It is called neo-behaviorism. Notable psychologists that
contributed much in the development of neo-behaviorism included Edward Tolman and Albert
Bandura. The neo-behaviorists were more self-consciously trying to formalize the laws of
behavior. They believed that some mediating variables into the established stimulus-response
theory contribute much to learning

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Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this module, students should have the opportunity to:

1. Distinguish behaviorism by Pavlov, Watson, Thorndike, and Skinner to Neo-Behaviorism

by Tolman and Bandura
2. Relate the salient features of Tolman’s purposive behaviorism and Bandura’s social-
cognitive theory to actual teaching.
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Discussion:

Tolman's Purposive Behaviorism

Purposive learning encapsulates Edward Tolman's theory. He insisted that all behavior is directed
because of a purpose. Hence, all behaviors are focused on achieving some goals by cognition-an
intervening variable. For Tolman, a behavior is never merely the result of mindless S-R
connections. He further believed that "mental processes are to be identified in terms of the
behaviors to which they lead." In other words, his intervening variables are tied to observable
behaviors.

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 In his experiment, two groups of rats were put in mazes
for 17 days. The first group of rats was fed (rewarded)
every time they found their way out. The second group of
rats was non-reinforced. The rats did not receive any food
from days 1 to 10 even if they have seen the end point.
Later, it was observed that in the first 10 days, the rats
developed a cognitive map. Hence, from day 11 onward,
they were motivated to perform and look for the end point faster than the first group to find
food because they were hungry.

From this experiment, Tolman concluded that an organism performs a behavior because it has a
purpose or a goal. It has also led to the birth of latent learning a form of learning that occurs
without any visible reinforcement of the behavior or associations that are learned. In addition,
latent learning occurs every time an organism sees a reason to perform or show it. For instance,
a 4-year-old boy observed his father in using the TV remote control. When he would be left alone
and had the opportunity to turn on the TV using the remote control, he could easily demonstrate
the learning.

Another distinctive feature of the purposive behaviorism is the coining of the term "cognitive
map." According to Tolman, it is a mental illustration of the layout of the environment. It is
believed that everything in our cognitive map influences our interaction with the environment.
Hence, making our cognitive map more detailed and comprehensive helps facilitate our learning

Tolman's Other Salient Principles

1. Behavior is always purposive.

By this, he meant that all behavior is ignited to accomplish a specific goal. In its purest sense, a
demonstration of learning is the outcome of possessing a purpose to show it.

2. Behavior is cognitive.

The expectations that underlie and guide behavior are cognitions. This means that an organism
is mindful of the connections between specific actions and certain outcomes (cognitive map).
Such mental map is developed by expanding the experiences, coupled with the stimuli and
rewards. Notably, Tolman considered a cognition as an abstraction or a theoretical invention. He
believed that cognitions should only be inferred from behavior, not through introspection.

3. Reinforcement establishes and confirms expectancies.

Tolman also underscored the role of reinforcement in learning. As previously stated, learning,
according to Tolman, deals with connections between stimuli and expectancies or perceptions,
representations, needs, and other intervening variables. Because expectancies develop in
situations in which reinforcement is possible, the role of reinforcement is primarily one of
confirming expectancies. The more often an expectancy is established, the more likely it is that
the stimuli (signs) associated with it will become linked with the relevant significate (expectancy).
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Bandura's Social Learning Theory

Under the social learning theory, learning occurs

within the social context and by observing and
copying others' behavior or imitation (Akers &
Jensen, 2006,). Albert Bandura is the proponent of
this theory, where modeling is a crucial component.
Modeling refers to a change in one's behavior by
observing models (Rosenthal & Bandura, 1978).
Historically, modeling was equated with imitation, but modeling is a more inclusive concept
(Mussen, 1983).

Bandura's theory is also called the social-cognitive theory because of the influence of cognition
in his theory. He is one among few behaviorists who believed that humans process information
through cognition. The term self-efficacy has bridged social learning theory and cognitive
psychology. Self-efficacy is defined as one's evaluation of his or her own ability to accomplish or
perform an action in a particular context. Those with high self-efficacy see themselves as capable,
or useful, in dealing with the world and with other people.

Fundamental Principles of Social Learning Theory:

1. One may learn without changing his or her behavior.
- this is in contrast to what other behaviorists; for them, a change in behavior is always an
indication of learning.
2. Learning takes place by imitating a model.
- that model possesses characteristics (i.e., intelligence, physical aura, popularity, or
talent) that a learner finds attractive and desirable. Admiration plays an essential role in
imitating a particular behavior of the model. This explains why speech teacher recite a
crucial sound first, then guide the learners until they can recite the sound correctly by
themselves.
3. An observing person will always react to the one being imitated depending on whether the
model is rewarded or punished.
- If the model receives rewards, the imitator copies the behavior; and if the former is
punished, the latter will most likely avoid copying the behavior.
4. Acquiring and performing behavior are different.
- Bandura made a demarcation line between performing and acquiring a behavior. One
can acquire the behavior by observing someone but may opt not to perform it until the
context requires so.
5. Interaction is vital for successful social learning.
- Social learning may occurs successfully when learners interact with their co-leaners and
models (Mourlam, 2013). Leaning in isolation may dampen self-efficacy. This means that
copying behavior involves the guiding of one person’s behavior by another person, such
as when an art instructor gives guidance and corrective feedback to an art student who is

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 attempting to draw a picture. With copying behavior, the final “copied” response is
reinforced and thereby strengthened.
6. Learning is self-regulated.
- Bandura noted that self-regulation occurs when individuals observe, assess, and judge
their behavior against their standards, and subsequently reward and punish them.
7. Learning may be acquired vicariously.
- Vicarious learning is acquired from observing the consequences of others’ behavior. For
instance, when a model is given praises and rewards, the observer may likely repeat the
copied behavior because he or she feels the same satisfaction, too.
8. Learning may be reinforced by the model or by others.
- Compliments coming from the model may strengthen the occurrence of the behavior.
Similarly, when a person is praise by his or hew peers because of a change in behavior, he
or she may show an increase in that behavior.
Components of Successful Modeling
1. Attention. To meaningfully perceive relevant behaviors, one should pay attention. At any given
moment, one can attend to many activities. The characteristics of the model and the observer
influence one's attention to models. This explains why teachers make use of bright colors or large
fonts in their instructional aids for modeling to snatch the attention of the learners.

2. Retention. Paying attention to something should result in retention that requires cognitively
organizing, rehearsing, coding, and transforming modeled information for storage in memory.
Rehearsal also serves a vital role in the retention of knowledge. This is a mental review of
information. Sometimes, the observer retains the information through association and cognitive
pattern. In a dance class, for instance, an observer counts 1-2-3-4 and 5 with corresponding steps
to store the dance steps in his or her memory. Rehearsal without coding and coding without
rehearsal are less effective.

3. Production. To strengthen learning through observation, one needs to translate the visual and
symbolic conceptions into observable behavior. Subsequent production of this behavior indicates
an increase in learning. Bandura noted that observers refine their skills with practice, corrective
feedback, and reteaching. Sometimes, problems in producing modeled behaviors arise not only
because information is inadequately coded but also because learners experience difficulty
translating coded information in memory into overt action. For example, a child may have a basic
understanding of how to tie shoelaces but not be able to translate that knowledge into behavior.
Teachers who suspect that students are having trouble demonstrating what they have learned
may need to test students in different ways.

4. Motivation. Influencing observational learning is motivation. Individuals perform actions they

believe will result in rewarding outcomes and avoid acting in ways they think will be responded
to negatively (Schunk, 1987). Persons also act based on their values, performing activities they
value and avoiding those they find unsatisfying, regardless of the consequences to themselves or
others. Motivation is a critical process of observational learning that teachers promote in various
ways, including making learning interesting, relating material to student interests, having

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students set goals and monitor goal progress, providing feedback indicating increasing
competence, and stressing the value of learning.

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Evaluation:

Activity 1:
State a personal message derived from the key concepts of Tolman’s purposive behaviors.
Number 1.1. is done for you.

Key Concept of Tolman’s

Theory on Purposive Personal Message
Behaviorism
1.1. To make my students do what I require them to do, I should
1. Learning is always purposive state the goal clearly and specifically.
and goal-directed 1.2.

2. Cognitive maps help 2.1.

students perform well.
Organisms select the shortest 2.2.
or easiest path to achieve a
goal.
3.1.
3. Latent learning stays with
the individual until needed. 3.2.

4. Learning is influenced by 4.1.

expectations, perceptions,
representations, needs and 4.2.
other internal variables like
hunger.

Activity 2:
Choose 2 key concepts of Bandura’s social learning theory then state how you apply the concept
as you teach.

2 Key Concepts of Albert

How I apply it in my teaching
Bandura
1. 1.1.

1.2.

2. 2.1.

2.2.

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References:
Aquino, Avelina M., Ed.D., 2015, Facilitating Human Learning, 2 nd Ed., REX Bookstore, Inc.
Bulusan, Fedinand, et.al., 2019, Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching, 1st Edition, REX Bookstore
Lucas, Maria Rita D. PhD and Corpuz, Brenda B., PhD. 2014, Facilitating Learning: A Metacognitive Processes, 4 th Ed., LORIMAR
Publishing, Inc.

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PED05Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching compiledby:gregana&chua-1stsem2021-2022