What is Behaviorism?

Behavior: response of an organism to stimuli; objective &

observable
The study of how environmental stimuli bring about changes in
people’s behaviors
Behaviorists ignore what goes on inside our mind since it can’t be
seen or measured
Mind is a “black box”
Learning = Behavior change due to experience
Doesn’t consider/believe in intrinsic motivation
Ivan
Pavlov -
Classical
Conditioni
Russian physiologist
ng
who developed the
idea of classical
conditioning (1927)
using dogs.
II. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

People (and animals) acquire certain behaviors through classical conditioning

Learning process in which associations are made between an unconditioned stimulus and a neutral stimulus.
STIMULI
 STIMULI cont.
CONDITIONED STIMULUS (CS):
elicits a response due to being paired with
an UCS.
CONDITIONED RESPONSE (CR):
the learned reaction to a CS
 Classical Conditioning - Ivan Pavlov
A. Pavlov’s Dogs Experiment (US)
Unconditioned Stimulus - food (UR)
Unconditioned Response - saliva (NS)
Neutral Stimulus - bell
(CS) Conditioned Stimulus -
bell
(CR) Conditioned Response -
saliva to bell
EXAMPLES OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Using electric wires to
keep cows in a field
UCS
- Electric shock
UCR
- Jump back
CS
- wire
CR
- Stay away
 ELECTRIC CAN OPENER / CATS
UCS
- food
UCR
- Run into the kitchen
CS
- Can opener
CR
- Run into the kitchen

Dad C.C.
 Classical Conditioning in the real (comics) world

Jim & Dwight

Taking classical conditioning a step further
GENERALIZATION:
Responding to a second stimulus similar to the original CS
DISCRIMINATION:
the ability to respond differently to different stimuli
EXTINCTION:
When the CR gradually dies out after the CS is
repeatedly presented w/o the UCS
SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY:
When the CR reappears after a rest period following
extinction.
Acquisition Curve
Classical Conditioning in the Classroom
■ Playing soothing music, dimming the lights to
calm & relax students
■ Helping students associate school with good
experiences■ Unintentional classical conditioning:
■ Anxiety (test, math, public speaking) ■
Humiliation■ Fear■ Frustration
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)
■ American psychologist, very influential from the
30’s – 60’s■ Developed Operant Conditioning
(Instrumental
Conditioning)■ Famous for the Skinner Box used
with pigeons & rats; applied these findings to human
learning■ Interested in education
Skinner’s Operant Conditioning
■ Believed behavior is sustained only be
reinforcement or punishment, not free will■
Conditioning voluntary & controllable behavior
■ Not the automatic physiological or emotional
response of classical conditioning■ Organisms tend
to repeat actions that are reinforced
■ Behavior can be shaped by reinforcement
Operant Conditioning
 Operant Conditioning
Classical Conditioning
Respondent behavior
Operant conditioning
Actions associated with consequences
Operant behavior
Skinner’s Experiments
 Skinner’s Experiments
Edward Thorndike’s Law of Effect
B.F. Skinner
Behavioral technology
Behavior control
 Skinner’s Experiments
Operant Chamber (Skinner Box)
Reinforcement
Skinner’s ExperimentsShaping Behavior
Shaping
Successive approximations
Discriminative stimulus
Shaping New Behaviors
■ Process of reinforcing a series of responses that increasingly
resemble the desired final behavior■ When desired behavior
occurs rarely or not at all, we use shaping
■ First reinforce any response that in some way resembles the
desired behavior, then one that is closer etc.■ Think of animal
training or the hyper kid who can’t stay in his seat – do things
in small steps
Skinner’s ExperimentsTypes of Reinforcers
Reinforcer
Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Skinner’s ExperimentsTypes of Reinforcers
Reinforcer
Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Skinner’s ExperimentsTypes of Reinforcers
Reinforcer
Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Skinner’s ExperimentsTypes of Reinforcers
Reinforcer
Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Skinner’s ExperimentsTypes of Reinforcers
Reinforcer
Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Skinner’s ExperimentsReinforcement
Schedules
Continuous reinforcement
Partial (intermittent) reinforcement
Schedules
Fixed-ratio schedule
Variable-ratio schedule
Fixed-interval schedule
Variable-interval schedule
Skinner’s ExperimentsReinforcement
Schedules
Skinner’s ExperimentsReinforcement
Schedules
Skinner’s ExperimentsReinforcement
Schedules
Skinner’s ExperimentsReinforcement
Schedules
Skinner’s ExperimentsReinforcement
Schedules
Skinner’s ExperimentsReinforcement
Schedules
Skinner’s ExperimentsReinforcement
Schedules
Skinner’s ExperimentsReinforcement
Schedules
Skinner’s ExperimentsReinforcement
Schedules
Skinner’s ExperimentsReinforcement
Schedules
Skinner’s ExperimentsPunishment

Punishment
Positive punishment
Negative punishment
Skinner’s ExperimentsPunishment

Punishment
Positive punishment
Negative punishment
Skinner’s ExperimentsPunishment

Punishment
Positive punishment
Negative punishment
Skinner’s ExperimentsPunishment

Punishment
Positive punishment
Negative punishment
Skinner’s ExperimentsPunishment

Punishment
Positive punishment
Negative punishment
 Skinner’s ExperimentsPunishment

Negatives of using punishment

Punished behavior is suppressed not
forgotten
Punishment teaches
discrimination
Punishment can teach fear
Physical punishment may increase
aggression
Skinner’s Legacy
 Skinner’s Legacy
Controversies surrounding Skinner’s
Operant Conditioning
Module 28:Operant Conditioning’s
Applications, and Comparison to
Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
■ Teachers can deliberately use operant
conditioning with their students (training)
■ Reward for good behavior; punishment for bad■
How someone reacts to our behaviors determines
whether or not we continue the behavior
■ If we are reinforced for something we will likely
do it again■ We must see the reinforcer as
desirable for it to be reinforcing (same for
punishment)
Application of Operant
Conditioning
 Application of Operant
Conditioning
At school
In sports
At home
For self- improvement
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Contrasting Classical and
Operant Conditioning
Types of reinforcement
Verbal
Physical
- paht on shoulder
Non verbal
Activity
Based on Thorndike, learning is phenomenon that grows
associations between one events to another events which
is called as stimulus (S) with respond (R). Stimulus is a
changing of external environment that become sign to
activate organism to react and act. And, respond is
behavior that is raised by stimulus.
 Thorndike Theory
One of the phenomenal work is his book under title “Animal
intelligence, An experimental study of association process in
Animal”. This book is based on his research to behavior of
animals like cats, dogs, and bird. According to him, the
behavior of those animal is giving a description of learning
process; that is basic of learning is association, a stimulus
will result generate a certain respond. Thorndike theory
explains learning is change of behavior that can be observed,
measured, and assessed concretely
 One of the famous of
Thorndike experiments is
hunger cats is putted in the
cage which have automatic
door, it can be open and
close if button which is
located under cage is
if out of cage is putted a
food, then cat will try to
reach it. Suddenly, the
cat touch the button of
the cage, then the door
will be open, and cat
 Thorndike said his
theory in learning
that every creature
in his behavior there
is a correlation
Law of Learning in
Thorndike Theory
Law of Readiness
in this law learner must be ready and in good condition
in order to be success in his learning.
Readiness here must be in psychology and physically.
Ready in physic means learner is not in sick
condition, and ready in psychology means learner
do not have mental sickness and other. Beside,
learner must be readiness in mastering a science
and its basic competence.
Based on Thorndike, there are some conditions that appear in this law such
as:
first, if there is a preference to act and people want to do it, they will be
satisfied. In consequence, they will do not act other behavior, and it will
result unsatisfied.
Second, if there is inclination to act, but people do want to do that, they
will replace with other action to lack of their unsatisfied. And,
third if there is no tendency to act, but people are forced to do that, it
will result unsatisfied.
 Second is law of
exercise. To result
suitable and satisfied to
respond stimulus, so
person should trials and
practice frequently. And
suitable and satisfied
 Thorndike states that
repetition without reward
is not effective, because
association of stimulus and
respond can be strengthen
through reward.9 So, in
this law exercise of
 exercises contain
two things.
First is The Law of
Use; that is
connections
 law of effect. Every organism,
has own respond in facing a
new stimulus and new situation.
If organism determines a
respond or action that possesses
a satisfaction to that organism in
facing the new situation and
condition, they will do the same
action if later they face same
 In education area, law
of effect is happened to
someones who gives
punishment or
reward11. However, in
education the thing that
Thorndike adds some additional laws such as:
1. Law of multiple responses. This law state that every individual is begun by
trial and error process that show kinds of response before the individual finds right response to
overcome the problem.
1. Attitude law. This law explains that learning behavior of persons is not only decided by the

relation of stimulus and response, but also decided by their condition either their cognitive,
emotion, social or psychomotor.
2. Prepotency of element law. This law states that persons who are in learning process give a

respond to the current stimulus that suits with their perception to whole situation and it is
called by selective respond.
3. Respond by Analogy law. This law asserts that persons are able to do a respond to the

situation that is never happened before because the persons can connect that situation to old
situation, until there is a element transfer from old situation to new situation.
4. Associative Shifting law. This law clarifies that process of shifting from known situation to

unknown situation can done gradually by adding the advantage element and delete the non
advantage element.
Then, there is a revision in learning which is explained by Thorndike such as:
1. The law of practice is abandoned because it is found that repetition is not
adequate to strengthen the relation between stimuli and respond. Meanwhile,
without repetition, the connection between stimulus and respond can not be
weak.
2. The law of effect is revised. As said by Thorndike that something positive
that can affect behavior is reward, not a punishment.
3. The main requirement to make stimulus and respond is not nearness, but
appropriateness between stimulus and respond.
4. The effect of action can infect to other area or individual.
5. Here also said that connectionism theory also shows that concept of transfer
of training that is skill which is acquired from learning can be used to overcome
the other problem. This theory is developed based on the experiment to the cat
with its box problem.
 This connectionism theory state that
learning is an activity that form
association or connection between an
impression of five sense and tends to
act., for example person who likes to
cook, then he or she will do that thing,
and if he or she does that, he or she will
feel satisfied and happy
Application of Thorndike theory to
students learning
The things that must be considered in implicating
Thorndike theory is the strong character serve as a
basis; those are: advance of environment’s effect,
emphasize detail parts, emphasize role of reaction.,
consider important mechanism how stimulus and
respond build a learning result, emphasize to role of
previous ability acquirement, advance build a habitual
through training (exercise), repetition and expected
learning result.
In Thorndike theory learning is oriented to result
that can measured and observed, an error must be
fixed immediately, and repetition and exercise is
used to make the behavior become a habit. Result
in application of behaviorist theory is forming an
expected behavior which the expected behavior
can be strengthened positively. And unexpected
behavior can be deleted. In this case, evaluation
and assessment are based in the appearing
behavior