BEHAVIORISM

Curriculum: Foundations, Principles, and Is-

sues

Co-authors: Ornstein & Hunkins

Presenter: Mahailia Palmer

 Objectives
Observe the history of behaviourism

Observe Thorndike’s influence

Observe contemporary behaviourists

Observe methods influenced by

behaviourism
 History of Behaviourism

• Behaviourism dominated 20th century

Aristotle
Psychology.

• Major proponents of behaviourism were

influenced by the philosophical ideas
about the nature of learning by men
such as Aristotle and Locke.
 History of Behaviourism
• Behaviourism stemmed from the belief
that to elicit selected responses from the
learner one must condition behaviour
and alter the environment.
 Theory of Connectionism
• Connectionism is the philosophy of
Edward Thorndike which says that
learning is a product between a stimulus
and a response.
 Edward Thorndike

• He was the first person to test the

learning process experimentally and as
such, he is considered to be the founder
of behavioural psychology.

• Using animals, Thorndike tested the

relationship between a stimulus and
a response, (classical conditioning).
Thorndike’s Laws of Learning
 Thorndike’s influence
• Theorists such as Ralph Tyler, Hilda Taba, Jerome
Bruner were influenced by aspects of Thorndike’s
connectionism.

• Hilda, like Thorndike argued that practice alone

does not strengthen memory, as such, she
advocated for the removal of rigorous rote
learning and drill from the curriculum.
 Thorndike’s influence

• With the removal of rote learning, more

effective strategies and methods that
promote better transfer of knowledge,

such as, inquiry discovery and problem-

solving where championed by Bruner and

Hilda.
Thorndike’s influence

Thorndike also influenced

Pavlov’s famous classical
conditioning experiment. In
this experiment, a dog
learned to salivate at the
sound of a bell.
 NEOBEHAVIORISTS

• Contemporary psychologists believe

in the basic stimulus-response principles
but reject the rigid mechanistic views
of Thorndike.

• These contemporary associationists are

called “neobehaviorists.”
 Contemporary Behaviourist

• B.F Skinner- famous for his theory on oper-

ant conditioning.

• He introduced the term reinforcement. He

postulated that behaviour which is reinforced
tends to be repeated while behaviour which
is not reinforced tends to die out or become ex-
tinguished.
 Acquiring New Operants
Behavior can be modified through:

1. Observational learning and modeling

(Albert Bandura)

2. Hierarchal learning (Robert Gagne)

3. Consciousness, choice, and conditioning

 Behaviourism and the Curriculum

 Behaviorists believe that the curriculum

should be organized so that students can
master the subject-matter.
 They rely on step-by-step, structured
learning methods.
 Contemporary behaviorists recognize the
role of cognitive processes.
Methods Influenced By Behaviourism
Direct Instruction Mastery Learning
• Rosenshine Model • Block and Anderson Model

Systematic Instruction
• Good and Brophy Model
 Conclusion

Behaviourism falls under the foundation of

curriculum called psychology. Behaviourism
focuses on the theory of learning that
postulates that learning is increased through
conditioning. A learner can be conditioned
through positive and negative reinforcement
or through stimulus-response efforts.
 Recap Question
 Theories of behaviourism still continue to
shape curriculum and instruction. Discuss three
ways theories of behaviourism influence the
teaching and learning process.

 Identify the reason(s) behaviourism appeals to

curriculum specialists even in the 21st –century.
 Reference
• Ornstein, A. C., & F. P. Hunkins (2018). Curriculum:

Foundations, Principles, and Issues (7th ed).UK:

Pearson.