Antony Kontellis UTS Blog

Behaviourists attempted to study behaviour and learning from a scientific approach – only observable and measurable behaviours are reliable. 

They explain human behaviour in terms of cause and effect – therefore learning is a modification of behaviour by application of stimuli, shaping of responses and the provision of reinforcement.

Learning is demonstrated in the response or behaviour of the learner.

TASK: Watch the following video from the Wharton University of Pennsylvania:

http://www.learningwiki.com/theory  

Part 1 – Behaviourism

Examples you may be familiar with:

Classical Conditioning – Pavlov’s  Dogs

The learner (dog) is conditioned (learns) to emit a response (dribble) which was originally a natural response to another stimulus (food) to a new stimulus (a bell).

Classic conditioning can also be demonstrated by our ability to generalize our responses to stimuli.

Eg. A household drill may cause a reaction for a person that has had an experience with a dentist’s drill!

What effect might generalizing have in e-Learning contexts? 

I feel that generalizing in an e-learning context could be extremely constrictive, and ultimately a disadvantage to successful e-learning. Many people have stereotypical generalizations relating to e-learning which means that they do not consider the vast range of possibilities available to them. Observing e-learning more specifically and broadly would have positive effects, as the feasibility and effectiveness of specific e-learning tools could be considered. 

Operant Conditioning – Skinner

Skinner argued that people learn to behave in ways that help them obtain things they want or avoid things they don’t want.

Reinforcement is used  (money, promotions, success, praise etc) to increase the likelihood of the desired response being repeated.

Skinner believed that by ignoring a response, without reinforcement the behaviour will die out.

Negative reinforcement – knowing how to avoid unpleasant or dangerous circumstances.

Punishment – creating unpleasant situations to decrease unwanted behaviour.

Feedback – is used to reinforce behaviour and let learners know how they are doing.

Principles emphasised by Behaviourist theory:

§  The learner must be able to respond actively

§  Frequency of repetition of responses is important in acquiring skill

§  Reinforcement is vital to obtain repetition of required or correct behavior

§  Generalisation suggests the importance of practice in varied situations

§  Immediate feedback of results is strongly motivating

§  Shaping behaviour by the reinforcement of approximate responses is essential in learning new skills

Burns, R. 1995, The Adult Learner at Work, Business & Professional Publishing, Sydney