Overview
While one can trace the roots of behaviorism back to the research of Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov, it was formally introduced as a branch of psychology by John Watson in his now famous manifesto “Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It”. In the manifesto, Watson laid out the main assumptions and principles of behaviorism. The main basis of behaviorism is that people learn behavior from their environment, and thus behaviorists investigate factors within the environment that create observable impacts on peoples’ behavior. Another important researcher in the field of behaviorism is B.F Skinner. He introduced a type of behaviorism know as radical behaviorism. One of the main differences between traditional (also known as methodological) behaviorists and radical behaviorists is that traditional behaviorists think that people are born as blank slates with no predefined behaviors while radical behaviorists believe that people are born with some behaviors and thus study the role genetics and biology play in defining behavior (Mcleod, 2017).
As a learning theory, behaviorism, explores how people react to certain stimuli. It holds that the goal of a teacher is to demonstrate to students the appropriate way to behave when presented with certain stimuli. These behaviors are then reinforced using repetition and conditioning. Repetition involves constantly reviewing the behavior and testing students to ensure that they fully understand it. Conditioning involves using rewards and punishments to reinforce good and bad behaviors respectively. Overall, behaviorism focuses less on the full thought process behind an action and more on the action itself since actions are tangible and observable (“Behaviorism”, n.d.).
Pros and Cons
As with any theory/principle, behaviorism has its pros and cons. One of the biggest strengths of behaviorism is that it focuses on observable behavior which can lead to measurable results. Another pro of behaviorism is its wide range of applications from education to therapy. A major criticism of behaviorism is that most of its initial research was done on animals and many people think that we cannot automatically compare the behaviors of animals to humans since they are different. Another con to behaviorism is that it completely ignores the thought processes associated with the decision-making process (Mcleod, 2017).
Learning Scenario
An example of a learning scenario that uses behaviorism would be a science teacher who wants students to learn about the scientific method. In this case, the behavior the teacher would want the students to learn is how to apply the scientific method correctly in various situations. To help develop this behavior, the teacher could come up with five simple experiments and for each experiment the students would have to follow the scientific method. As part of the process, students would have to keep a journal where they documented each step in the scientific method and how it applied to that particular experiment. The teacher would explain the scientific method before the first experiment and then after each additional experiment they would review the main steps and principles associated with the scientific method which would serve to reinforce the information. As part of the review sessions, the teacher could have students go back over their documentation and discuss what areas they need to improve on when applying the scientific method in future experiments. As a bonus reward, students could earn a themed sticker (i.e. a rainbow sticker for an experiment on light refraction) after each experiment if the teacher sees that they applied and documented the scientific method correctly.
References
Behaviorism. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2018, from https://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/learning-theory-research/behaviorism/
Mcleod, S. (2017, February 05). Behaviorist Approach. Retrieved November 1, 2018, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/behaviorism.html