Behaviorist

perspective
Behaviorism: Pavlov, Thorndike,
Watson, Skinner
 Theory of
Behaviorism
Focuses on the study of observable and measurable
behavior.
It emphasizes that behavior is mostly learned
through conditioning and reinforcement .
It does not give much attention to the mind, and the
possibility of thought processes occurring in the mind.
SHARE LANG…
• Think of a teacher that’s most
unforgettable to you in elementary or high
school.
• Are there things that when you encounter
at present (see, hear, touch, smell) makes
you “go back to the past” and recall this
teacher? What are these things?
• What kinds of rewards and punishment did
she/he apply in your class? For what
student behaviors were the rewards and
punishment for?
• What makes this teacher unforgettable for
you? Why?
• Were the rewards and punishments given
effective?
BEHAVIORISM
 IVAN PAVLOV
Is a Russian physiologist is well known
for his work in classical conditioning or
stimulus substitution.
Pavlov’s most renowned experiment
involved meat,
Dog and a bell.
 PAVLOV’s experiment
Stage 1 – Before conditioning
Bell No response
(Neutral stimulus)

Stage 2 – During conditioning

Bell
(Neutral stimulus)

Meat Salivation
(Unconditioned Stimulus) (Unconditioned Response)
 PAVLOV’s experiment
Stage 3 – After conditioning
Bell Salivation
(Conditioned Stimulus) (Conditioned Response)
 Pavlov had ff. findings:
Stimulus Generalization
Extinction
Spontaneous Recovery
Discrimination
Higher-Order Conditioning
 Edward L. Thorndike
• Connectionism theory
• Original S-R framework of behavioral
psychology.
• Explained that learning is the result of
associations forming between stimuli and
responses.
• Such as associations or “habits” become
strengthened or weakened by the nature
and frequency of the S-R pairings.
• This S-R model was trial and error
learning in which certain responses came
to be repeated than others because of
rewards.
 Theory on Connectionism, stated that
learning has taken place when a strong
connection or bond between stimulus and
response is formed.
 3 Primary laws
 Law of Effect
 Stated that a connection between a stimulus and response is
strengthened when the consequence is positive (reward) and
the connection between the stimulus and the response is
weakened when the consequence is negative.
 3 Primary laws
 Law of Exercise
 Tells us that the more an S-R bond is practiced the stronger it
will become.
 Law of Readiness
 States that, the more readiness the learner has to respond to the
stimulus, the stronger will be the bond between them.
 Example: the teacher and
 the student
 Principles Derived from
Thorndike’s Connectionism
 Learning requires both practice and rewards. (effect/exercise)
 A series of S-R connections can be chained together if they
belong to the same action sequence (readiness)
 Transfer of learning occurs because of previously encountered
situations.
 Intelligence is a function of the
 number of connections learned.
 John Watson
 The first American
psychologist to work with
Pavlov’s ideas.
 He too was initially involved
in animal studies, then later
became involved in human
behavior speech
 He considered that human are born
with a few reflexes and the emotional
reactions of love and rage.
 He believed in the power of
conditioning so much that he said if he
is given a dozen healthy infants he can
make them anything you want them to
be, basically through making’
stimulus-response connections through
conditioning.
 Module
• 1. Choose a place where you can observe adult-
child interactions – such as a mall, in church, at
the playground, etc. Spend one hour observing
such adult-child interactions. Focus your
attention on the stimulus-response-consequence
patterns you observe.
• Describe the consequences you observe. (It is
better to write or scribble the details on the spot
or as soon as you finish your observation)
• Answer these questions:
• 1. What kind of stimuli for children’s and adult
behavior did you observe?
• 2. What kinds of behaviors on the part of
children elicit reinforcement and punishment
consequences from the adult?
• 3. What kinds of behaviors of adults are
reinforced or punished by the children?
• 4. What kinds of reinforcements and
punishments seem to be the most “successful”?
• 5. Given this experience, what are your
thoughts about operant conditioning? Do you
think children reinforce and punish adults as
adults reinforce and punish them? How might
the two be interdependent?
• 2. Thorndike’s Connectionism
• A. Choose a topic you want to teach.
• B. Think of ways you can apply the three
primary laws while you teach the topic.

• Topic__________Grade/Year/Level_________
 PRIMARY LAW HOW I WOULD APPLY THE
PRIMARY LAW

Law of Readiness

Law of Effect. Indicate specifically

how you will use positive/negative
reinforcements (rewards)
Law of Exercise

From this module: I learned

that:_______________________________________________________
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