BEHAVIORISM

AND
EDUCATION
Prepared by: Xavier Jome G. Ando
The environment
shapes people's
actions.
B. F. Skinner
 What is
Behaviorism?
Behaviorism focuses on the idea
that all behaviors are learned
through interaction with the
environment. This learning theory
states that behaviors are learned
from the environment, and says
that innate or inherited factors
have very little influence on
behavior.
Behaviorism is key for educators
because it impacts how students react
and behave in the classroom, and
suggests that teachers can directly
influence how their students behave. It
also helps teachers understand that a
student’s home environment and
lifestyle can be impacting their
behavior, helping them see it
objectively and work to assist with
improvement.
 The Famous Behaviorists That Made Their Mark in the
World of Education

Burrhus Frederic Skinner
was an American
psychologist, behaviorist,
author, inventor, and social
philosopher. Considered the
father of Behaviorism.
John B Watson was a U.S.
psychologist who is regarded
as the father of behaviorism
because of his publication from
1913, Psychology As The
Behaviorist Views It. It is now
considered a classic piece of
literature in psychology.
Dr. Pavlov was a Russian
physiologist best known for
his experiments with dogs and
salivation. Pavlov would
become one of the most
prominent behavioral theorists
in the field.
Edward L. Thorndike one of
the most influential
behavioral theorists of all
time, who primarily worked
with animals. creating the
Law of Effect and
developing what would be
later known as operant
conditioning.
 Philosophical
Bases of
Behaviorism
(Realism; Materialism, Early Behaviorists;
Behaviorism; and Positivism)
 Behaviorists believe human
beings are shaped entirely by
their external environment. If
you alter a person's
environment, you will alter his
or her thoughts, feelings, and
behavior. The system is based
on rewards and punishments.
 Realism in education is a philosophical
Realism movement that emphasizes the
importance of objective truth and the
natural world in learning. Realist
educators believe that knowledge is
rooted in the physical world, and that
the role of education is to help
students understand and interact with
that world in a meaningful way.
-Realism means that certain claims can be made
about an object or thing that are true
independently of what anyone thinks.
- Realism means 'About a thing' or 'Concerning some
object.' Hence, it is an angle of vision according to
which things as we see and perceive are realities.
- This also means that any 'real' object has truths
which apply to it, even if no one is perceiving it or
thinking about it
-Realism believes that senses are the doors or
gateways of knowledge. The impressions and
sensations which result from our contacts with
external world through our senses result in
knowledge which is true and real.
Major Features
of
Realism
1. Realism emphasizes that education should be practical and
utilitarian. Now impractical and useless education has come to be
regarded as waste of time, energy and resources.
2. Realism prescribed realistic and useful aims of education. Such aims
are directly related to the needs of the individuals and demands of
society.
3. Because of Realistic education, scientific subjects have found an
important place in the curriculum. Thus, people of this age have
begun to believe that without science, no country can develop and
progress.
4. Realistic education has brought about revolutionary changes in the
methods of teaching. In modern education, the Inductive method
has replaced the traditional Deductive method. In addition,
Heuristic, Experimental and Correlation devices have come in the
field and accepted by all to be really effective methods.
Materialism
The term materialism is made up of the words '
material' and' ism.' "Material" can be interpreted as
"material, objects, all that appears." Materialism is a
view of life that seeks the foundation of all in the
material universe, including human life, leaving aside
all that transcends the sensory domain. In the
meantime, subject-oriented people are called
"materialists."
 Materialism perspectives on learning behavior

In reality, what is considered mental activity depends on

physical activity, which is different combinations and in
movement stuff, according to behaviorism. We call
thought the physical motions that occur in the brain are
created by other activities in the material world, both
material inside the human body and matter outside the
human body. Training, the learning process in this case, is
a method of shaping the environment.
For example, they gradually become frightened
of cats by playing with children who have never
been scared of cats. Human behavior is the
product of development by environmental
conditions according to behaviorism.
Behavior means things that change, that can
be observed, and that can be measured
(materialism and positivism).
 The Early
Behaviorists
The mind is like the ocean: only a minor fraction
has been explored. Because of the immense
depth of the conscious (and unconscious),
the scientific study known as psychology is
broken up into departments that focus on
different key functions of the mind and how
it works. One of these movements that rose
in popularity during the late 1800’s was
behaviorism.
A Russian psychologist famous for his dog
experiments, Ivan Pavlov was a major
character in the development of
behaviorism. Ivan wanted to find a way to
control the behavior of an animal, dogs in
this case, by utilizing cause and effect. He
found that dogs would salivate when
presented with food, thus giving him his
premise. The name Pavlov may ring a bell.
One such psychologist was American Edward Thorndike.
Thorndike pursued the intelligence of animals in an effort
to further understand humans. The results of this
experiment lead to Thorndike’s “Law of Effect” and “Law
of Exercise.” Initially, the cats would try every lever until
they got out. To test his learning theory, he would create
a puzzle box for them that involved ways to escape as
well as a piece of fish outside of the enclosure. The fish
gave the cats an incentive to try to find a way to escape
from the puzzle box. Because the cats learned that
pressing the lever had positive outcomes, they would
keep doing it and would become much quicker at it. This
phenomenon would become known as reinforcement.
John B Watson was a U.S. psychologist who is regarded as the
father of behaviorism because of his publication from
1913, Psychology As The Behaviorist Views It. It is now considered
a classic piece of literature in psychology. Dr. Watson led a
psychological experiment on an 11-month-old boy referred to as
“Little Albert”. Little Albert was the ideal subject for this
experiment because he was stable and not very emotional.
Watson hypothesized that fear of animals could be conditioned
by performing a specific set of stimuli. When presented with a
white rat, the doctors would strike a steel bar that would
produce a loud noise. Over time, Albert became conditioned to
fear the rat because of the sound associated with it. This would
become one of the prime examples of classical conditioning.
Burrhus Frederic Skinner was an American
psychologist, behaviorist, author, inventor,
and social philosopher. Considered the father
of Behaviorism. In an experiment known as
the “Skinner box,” Skinner placed a rat in a
box with a lever that released food into the
box. After the rat accidentally hit the lever
enough times, it ultimately learned that its
behavior (pulling the lever) led to a specific
consequence (receiving food).
Positivism
 -Positivism is a philosophical school that holds that all
Positivism genuine knowledge is either true by definition or
positive—meaning a posteriori facts derived by reason and
logic from sensory experience.
-Positivism is a teacher centered philosophy that rejects
intuition, matters of mind, essences, and inner causes. This
philosophy relies on laws of matter and motion as valid, and
bases truth on provable fact. It is also known as logical
positivism.
-Positivism is a theory of knowledge and knowledge
production. It has had some influence in education, and
contemporary learning theories assume that classroom
experience should be structured around its
demonstration-oriented, experience-based
principles. Positive education, on the other hand, is the
combination of traditional education principles with the
study of happiness and wellbeing, and the Values in Action
(VIA) classification.
Why positivism important in education?

In education, positivism leads to a

teacher-centered approach to
pedagogy. This means that
knowledge is conferred from the
teacher and is distributed to the
students. The teacher prioritizes
evidence-based knowledge, relies
specifically on scientific evidence,
such as experiments and statistics.
 Positivism tells us the
importance of providing
evidence – personal judgments
and perceptions are not
accepted as 'scientific'
information. To sum it
up, Positivism has had
important and lasting effects
on science and economic
research.
Philosophical Aspects
of Behaviorism
Philosophical behaviorism is a philosophy
movement from the mid-20th century. It says
that everything about our minds and thoughts
boils down to how our bodies behave. In other
words, our mental states are really just
descriptions of our actions and how we tend to
behave.
This idea is part of a bigger philosophy called
materialism, which means that mental stuff is
connected to physical stuff. So, in a way,
behaviorism treats our thoughts and minds as
physical facts because they're all tied to how
our bodies act.
In the past, behaviorism was a big deal in
both psychology and philosophy. It
focused a lot on how people act on
the outside and didn't pay much
attention to what people were feeling
on the inside. This way of thinking
goes back to the ideas of John B.
Watson, who believed we should
mainly study observable behaviors
and not worry too much about inner
experiences.
 The two philosophical sources of
behaviorism

Behaviorism rooted not only in realism

and materialism, but also the
philosophy of reductionism which
interprets the human activities in
connection with the behavioral
responses of the animals (Curzon,
2004).
Behaviorism as a Philosophy of
Education
(Aims, Methods, Curriculum,
Role of Teacher)
From a behaviorist perspective, the role of the
learner is to be acted upon by the
teacher-controlled environment. The teacher's
role is to manipulate the environment to shape
behavior. Thus, the student is not an agent in
the learning process, but rather an animal that
instinctively reacts to the environment.
 Behaviorism in education is a teaching
philosophy that focuses on shaping and
reinforcing desired behaviors in students
through rewards and punishments. It
emphasizes observable actions and believes
that learning is the result of conditioning,
repetition, and external influences, rather
than innate or internal factors.
The aim of behaviorism in education is to
mold and guide students' behaviors and
actions by using positive reinforcement
for desired behaviors and negative
consequences for undesired ones, with
the goal of creating a structured and
disciplined learning environment.
The methods of behaviorism in education involve
using techniques like rewards, punishments,
repetition, and conditioning to influence and
shape students' behaviors and learning
outcomes. Behaviorism can be applied in the
classroom through techniques such as positive
reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and
modeling to encourage desired behaviors and
promote a positive learning environment.
-In a Behaviorist classroom, curriculum is designed in a
very prescriptive manner. The reason for this is that
students are expected to master the curriculum
being presented. To help students achieve mastery,
instruction is presented in a step-by-step approach.

What is an example of behaviorism in the curriculum?

-An example of behaviorism is when teachers reward
their class or certain students with a party or special
treat at the end of the week for good behavior
throughout the week. The same concept is used with
punishments. The teacher can take away certain
privileges if the student misbehaves.
 The teacher's role is to manipulate the
environment to shape behavior. In behaviorism
in education, the role of the teacher is to act as
a guide and controller of the learning
environment. Teachers use rewards and
punishments to shape and reinforce desired
behaviors in students. They provide structured
instruction, closely monitor student progress,
and adjust their teaching methods based on
observable behaviors and outcomes.
 Critique of
Behaviorism in
Education
 Critics of behaviorism argue
that it overlooks students'
unique identities and
individuality. Some pedagogical
experts also say it focuses on
studying physical actions
instead of the brain, making it
ineffective for understanding
genuine learning.
Critics of behaviorism in education worry about several things:

No Personalization: Behaviorism treats all students the same, even

though everyone is different.
Misses Inner Thoughts: It focuses on what students do, not what
they think and feel inside.
Encourages Memorization: Some say it makes students memorize
stuff without really understanding.
Ethical Concerns: Using rewards and punishments might make
students follow rules for the wrong reasons and harm their
well-being.
Limited Assessment: It may not show the full growth of a student,
just what's visible.
Lack of Independence: Critics say it's too controlling, not letting
students be active in their learning.
Not for Complex Stuff: Some think it's not good for teaching
complex or tricky topics.
Hobbes: The Leviathan
Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) was a
philosopher and royalist, educated at
Oxford. He spent periods living near
Paris, and also travelled round Europe,
picking up a wide education in the
artistic, scientific and philosophical
thinking of the day. He worked as a
tutor to the noble and wealthy, but
not until his 40s did he start working
in earnest on his own philosophical
theories.
-Hobbes believed that without rules, people
would live in chaos, with the powerful
controlling the weak. He thought life would
be tough and short for most. So, the only
natural right he saw was the right to protect
ourselves.
- Hobbes had an idea to get rid of the fear
between people. He said we should make a
deal with a strong leader who would protect
us. In this deal, we give up all our rights, but
the leader's power becomes absolute.
Importantly, Hobbes didn't think the leader
had power from God; instead, they got it
through an agreement with the people.
Leviathan appears in the Book of
Psalms, as a sea serpent that is
killed by God and then given as
food to creatures in the
wilderness, and it is mentioned in
the Book of Job as well. Today, its
name is used for "something
monstrous or of enormous size.“
Leviathan is a book by Thomas Hobbes that
argues that the best way to maintain peace
in a society is through a government with
absolute power. Hobbes uses an image of a
giant human made out of smaller humans
to represent the idea that people must give
up some of their freedoms so they can live
together peacefully. The book attempts to
prove the necessity of the Leviathan for
preserving peace and preventing civil war.
The Leviathan is a metaphor for the power
of people united as one.
"Leviathan" by Thomas Hobbes is that
for a peaceful society, people must
agree to have a strong government
with absolute power. It's like people
forming a giant human (the Leviathan)
by coming together and giving up
some freedom. This powerful
government is needed to prevent
chaos and civil war. The Leviathan
represents the united power of the
people.
The famous cover engraving
provided Leviathan with an enduringly
striking image. A crowned giant emerges
from the landscape, clutching a sword (a
symbol of earthly power) and a crosier (a
symbol of Church power). The torso and
arms of this colossus are composed of
over 300 humans, showing how the
people are represented by their
contracted leader, who draws his
strength from their collective
agreement.
 Skinner: Beyond
Freedom And Dignity
Beyond Freedom and Dignity denies the
idea that free will and morality exist.
Skinner argues that human behavior is
influenced by the environment and not
some internal force or thought. In fact,
Skinner claims that it is rather naive to
assume that something which cannot be
seen by the human eye has a big
influence on our actions.
 In "Beyond Freedom and Dignity,"
Skinner says there's no such thing as
free will or morality. He believes our
actions are shaped by the
environment, not some hidden inner
force or thoughts. He thinks it's
naive to think something invisible
has a strong impact on our behavior.
 The main point of Skinner's book
Beyond Freedom and Dignity
Skinner makes his definitive
statement about humankind and
society. Insisting that the problems of
the world today can be solved only by
dealing much more effectively with
human behavior, Skinner argues that
our traditional concepts of freedom
and dignity must be sharply revised.
What does BF Skinner say about
freedom?

According to Skinner, the idea of

getting freedom is like chasing a
ghost. Instead of true freedom,
people either hide their control or
give it away.
What is beyond freedom and dignity
analysis?

Skinner's book "Beyond Freedom and

Dignity" caused a lot of debate. In it,
he said that thinking about freedom
and dignity might actually harm us
and suggested using a science of
behavior, like in physics and biology,
to guide us instead.
END OF MY
TALK!