What is Behaviourism ?

Behaviourism is a theory that

intends to explain how to learn a
specific behavior. It focuses on the
explanation of behavior.
Classical/Pavlovian conditioning
Depends upon an association between
stimulus and response

• Basic reflex responses are unconditionally

elicited by certain types of stimuli [e.g.
salivation on presentation of food]
Universals of Behaviourism
 Behavior can be shaped through
reinforcement.
 Practice promotes desired behavior.
 All species of animals learn in similar (equal
ways with the same guiding principles)
 To understand learning processes, focus on
stimulus and responses
 Internal process should be excluded from the
study of learning.
 Learning is evidenced by a behavior change
Assumptions of Behaviourism
 Organisms are blank slates at birth
(“tabula rasa”)

 Learning is a result of
environmental events
Learning steps according to
Behaviourism
Imitation
Repetition
Reinforcement/Punishment
Habit formation
Two main types of Learning
 Classical conditioning: addresses
learning of involuntary responses.
For example when the sound of a
bell alone stimulates saliva flow in
dogs.

 Operant conditioning: addresses

learning of voluntary responses.
7
Reinforcement
Reinforcement is used to help increase the
probability that a specific behavior will occur
in the future.

Two types : positive and negative

Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement works by presenting a
motivating/reinforcing stimulus to the person after the
desired behavior is exhibited, making the behavior more
likely to happen in the future.

The following are some examples of positive

reinforcement:

 A mother gives her son praise (positive stimulus) for

doing homework (behavior).
 A father gives his daughter candy (positive stimulus)
for cleaning up her bedroom (behavior).
Negative reinforcement
Negative reinforcement occurs when a certain stimulus
(usually an aversive stimulus) is removed after a
particular behavior is exhibited.

 Bob does the dishes (behavior) in order to avoid his

mother´s anger (negative stimulus).

 Natalie can get up from the dinner table (negative

stimulus) when she eats 2 bites of her broccoli
(behavior).
Punishment
Punishment is a process by which a consequence
immediately follows a behavior which decreases the
future frequency of that behavior.
a) Positive Punishment: presenting a negative
consequence after an undesired behavior is
exhibited, making the behavior less likely to happen
in the future.
 A child picks his nose during class (behavior) and the
teacher reprimands him (negative stimulus) in front of
his classmates.

 A child grabs a toy from another child (behavior) and

is sent to time out (negative stimulus)
Punishment
Negative Punishment : Negative punishment happens
when a certain desired stimulus is removed after a
particular undesired behavior is exhibited, resulting in
the behavior happening less often in the future.

 For a child that really enjoys a specific class, such as

gym or music classes at school, negative punishment
can happen if he/she is removed from that class
(desired stimulus) and sent to the principal’s office
because he/she was misbehaving (behavior)
 You didn´t do your homework. Your mother does not
allow you to use your cell phone or computer.
Differences between PP and NP
 Behaviourism and Language
Teaching
 It had a powerful influence on second and foreign
language teaching between the 1940s and the 1970s.

 Influenced the development of the audiolingual

method.

 Instruction is to elicit the desired response from the

learner who is presented with a target stimulus.

 Student as passive receiver of information memorized

dialogues and sentence patterns by heart.
Characteristics of a class based on
Behaviourism
 Based on rewards and punishments.

 Responsibility for student learning rests squarely with

the teacher.

 Lecture-based, highly structured.

 Primacy of speech: considers speech as primary partly

because it is the first medium that the child masters.

 Skills are taught in a specific order: Listening and

speaking then reading/writing.
Steps to learn a language according to Behaviourism
 Learners are taught the language in small, sequential steps
(structures and then sentence patterns).

 A small part of the language is presented as a stimulus, to which

the learner responds by repeating or by substituting.

 This is followed by reinforcement by the teacher. By repeating

the learner develops habits.

 Learning a language is seen as acquiring a set of appropriate

mechanical habits and errors are frowned upon because they
lead to the development of “bad” habits.

 The role of the teacher is to develop in learners good language

habits.
Your turn!
Provide 2 examples for : Positive and Negative
Reinforcement ; Positive and Negative Punishment.

With a partner, list two examples of operant

conditioning that you have used or that you see
regularly in your classroom or school.

Develop an activity for your class based on

Behaviourism.

Paris, N.A. Kennesaw State University- M.Ed in Ad

Ed program 17