EDU 107 FACILITATING LEARNER-CENTERED produce salivation.
The dogs had learned to
TEACHING associate the bell with food.
BEHAVIORISM: IVAN PAVLOV STIMULUS
What is BEHAVIORISM? Is an observable environmental event that
has a potential to exert control over a
Is a theory of learning based on the idea
behavioural response.
that all behaviours are acquired through
conditioning. RESPONSE
Conditioning occurs through interaction
Is an over behaviour by a learner.
with the environment.
In a simpler way stimulus is anything that
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
can directly influence behaviour and the
Was developed by a Russian Psychologist. stimulus produces response.
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Classical conditioning is a type of learning
STIMULUS
which is based on association of a stimulus that
does not ordinarily elicit a particular response with Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
another stimulus that does elicit response. (Papalia,
• This is stimulus that can produce the
Feldman, & Olds 2007)
response without any learning.
PAVLOV’S EXPERIMENT • Example : meat
Pavlov originally wanted to study the role of Conditioned stimulus (CS)
salivation in digestion.
• Conditioned stimulus acquired the ability to
He measured how much saliva dogs
produce the response because it was paired
produce when given meat.
(associated) with the unconditioned
Pavlov noticed that the dogs in his stimulus.
laboratory started salivating when the lab
attendant entered the room with the meat, • Example: bell
before meat placed in their mouth. RESPONSE
FOR EXAMPLE, Unconditioned response (UCR)
Pavlov sounded a bell just before • This is the unlearned or inborn reaction to
presenting his dogs with food the unconditioned stimulus.
After hearing the bell many times right • Example: salivation
before getting fed, the dogs began to
salivate as soon as the bell rang. Conditioned response (CR)
• When a response is produced by the
In other words, the dogs had been
conditioned stimulus it is referred to as the
conditioned to salivate in response to a new conditioned response.
stimulus (the bell) that normally would not
• Example: salivation
STEP 1 – Before Conditioning 2. DISCRIMINATION
Before conditioning, the bell is a neutral Discrimination it refers to the ability to
stimulus. Neutral stimulus (NS) is a stimulus differentiate between similar stimuli.
that, before conditioning, does not naturally
bring about the response of interest (Feldman, For example:
2005).
A student may fell fear during mathematics
NS (BELL) NO SALIVATION tests but not during physics or chemistry tests.
However, an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) 3. EXTINCTION
can produce an unconditioned response (UCR).
Is the process of unlearning a learned
UCS (MEAT) UCR (SALIVATION) response because of the removal of the
original source of learning.
STEP 2 – During Conditioning Procedure
During the conditioning procedure, the In classical conditioning, extinction is done
neutral stimulus (NS) is presented. It is by repeatedly presenting the CS without the
immediately followed by the unconditioned UCS. This action will decrease the frequency
stimulus (UCS) to produce unconditioned of previously CR. Eventually the CR
response (UCR). disappears.
NS (BELL) + UCS (MEAT) UCR (SALIVATION) In the example above, if the student
repeatedly passes the mathematics tests,
STEP 3 – Test of Conditioning
his fear of mathematics test will disappear.
After the classical conditioning procedures,
the neutral stimulus (NS) becomes a
conditioned stimulus (CS). It alone can produce
salivation. At this point, the production of
salivation is known as the conditioned response
(CR).
NS (BELL) CR (SALIVATION)
COMMON PHENOMENA IN CLASSICAL
CONDITIONING
1. GENERALIZATION
Generalization occurs when similar stimuli
to a CS produce a CR.
For example:
A student may generalize his fear to physics
and chemistry test although he had performed
poorly only on mathematic test.
THEORY of EDWARD THORNDIKE to, but also different from, classical
conditioning.
Edward Thorndike
• The founder of Modern Educational • The most important similarity is that, in
Psychology. both classical conditioning and instrumental
learning, subjects learn to associate paired
• Best-known for his famous puzzle box
experiments with cats which led to the events.
development of his law of effect.
• His famous formulation of Law of Effect lies
at the heart of the operant conditioning.
LAW OF EFFECT
Thorndike went beyond Pavlov by showing
that stimuli that occurred after a behavior
had an influence on future behaviours.
An act that is followed by a favorable effect
is more likely to be repeated in similar
situations; an act that is followed by
unfavorable effect is less likely to be
repeated.
Connectionism (Edward Thorndike) The
learning theory of Thorndike represents the
original S-R framework of behavioral
psychology: Learning is the result of
associations forming between stimuli and
responses.
Classical Conditioning Vs Instrumental
Learning
One very important difference is: THORNDIKE’S LAWS
• In classical conditioning, the learned • The theory on laws of learning on the basis
response (or conditioned response - the CR) is of his belief in connectionism. These laws
elicited involuntarily by a stimulus that comes are originally the outgrowth of experiments
before it (the CS) in the field of animal psychology. He first
presented his theory in his book Animal
• In instrumental learning, the learned
response (the instrumental response) is Learning published in 1898. The three
emitted voluntarily because of its consequence major laws are:
— that is, because of a stimulus (a reward) that
follows it. 1. Law f Exercise
• Thorndike’s method shows that the type of 2. Law Of Readiness
learning demonstrated by the cats is similar 3. Law Of Effect
Thorndike's Laws of Learning and its 5) The Law of Set or Attitude
Educational Implications
• Learning is guided by a total set or attitude
Thorndike’s Laws of Learning: of the organism, which determines not only
what the person will do but what will satisfy
1) Law of Readiness or annoy him.
• Learning takes place when an action Implication: Habit forming. Habits are formed
tendency is aroused through preparatory as a result of repetition. The wrong habits may
adjustment, set or attitude. Readiness be modified and the good habits strengthened.
means a preparation of action.
6) Pre- potency of Elements:
Implication: Task started from easier aspect to
more difficult. According to this law, the learner reacts
selectively to the important or essential in
2) Law of Exercise the situation and neglects the other
• Means that drill or practice helps in features or elements which may be
increasing efficiency and durability of irrelevant or non- essential.
learning. Implication: The effects of rewards and
Implication: The child rectifies the writing after punishment also affect the learning of the child.
committing mistakes. 7) Law of Response by Analogy
3) Law of Effect • The individual makes use of old experiences
• The third law is the ‘Law of Effect’, or acquisitions while learning a new
according to which the trial or steps leading situation.
to satisfaction stamps in the bond or Implication: Helpful in changing the behavior of
connection. delinquent children.
Implication: More emphasis laid on motivation. 8) The Law of Associative Shifting
Thus students should be properly motivated for
a lesson before starting the lesson. • According to this law we may get an
response, of which a learner is capable,
associated with any other situation to which
Besides these three basic laws, Thorndike he is sensitive.
also refers to five subordinate laws which Implication: The teacher can control the
further help to explain the learning process. negative emotions of children such as anger,
4) Law of Multiple–Response jealousy etc.
• According to it the organism varies or
changes its response till an appropriate
behaviour is hit upon. Without varying the
responses, the correspondence for the
solution might never be elicited.
Implication: Practice the main feature of Trial &
Error. Practice helps in reducing errors
committed by the child.
Learning Behavior According to John B. B.F. Skinner: Operant Conditioning
Watson
Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-1990)
JOHN B. WATSON (1878 – 1958)
Father of Operant Conditioning
Was a pioneering American Psychologist born March 20, 1904 in Susquehanna,
who played an important role in Pennsylvania
developing behaviorism. Watson believed received his BA in English from Hamilton
that psychology should primarily be College, New York
wrote newspaper articles on labor problems
scientific observable behavior. He is
then lived in Greenwich Village, NYC
remembered for his research on after some travelling, he decided to go back
the conditioning process, as well as the to school (Harvard)
Little Albert experiment, in which he got his masters in Psychology in 1930, his
demonstrated that a child could be doctorate in 1931
conditioned to fear a previously neutral In 1945, became the chairman of the
stimulus. His research also revealed that psychology department at Indiana
University
this fear could be generalized to other
In 1948, he was invited to Harvard where he
similar objects.
remained for the rest of his life
What happened in Little Albert Experiment? He spent most of his professional life
teaching at Harvard University
Demonstrated that classical conditioning - heavily influenced by the works of John B.
the association of a particular stimulus or Watson, Ivan Pavlov, and Edward Thorndike
behavior with an unrelated stimulus or
behavior. OPERANT CONDITIONING
Behaviorism B.F. Skinner’s theory is based on operant
conditioning.
Is a perspective or learning that focuses on
the changes in individuals' observable The organism is in the process of
behaviors or changes in what say or do. The “operating” on the environment. During this
Behaviorist Theory of learning says that “operating”, the organism encounters a special
learning can only be said to have taken kind of stimulus, called a reinforcing stimulus-
place when there is a change in the “reinforcer”. This reinforcer has the effect of
outward behavior of the learning. increasing the operant (the behavior occurring
just before the reinforcer).
Frequency and Recency
This is Operant Conditioning:
The act that is performed most frequently
persists while the rest die away. The act “the behavior is followed by a consequence,
and the nature of the consequence modifies
that has been performed recently is more
the organisms tendency to repeat the
likely to appear sooner in the next behavior in the future.”
succeeding trials.
Skinner conducted research on shaping
behavior through positive and negative
reinforcement and demonstrated operant
conditioning, a behavior modification technique
which he developed in contrast with classical
conditioning.
Both classical conditioning and operant Both classical conditioning and operant
conditioning are processes that lead to conditioning are processes that lead to learning.
learning.
Classical conditioning pairs two stimuli, Classical conditioning pairs two stimuli, while
while operant conditioning pairs operant conditioning pairs behavior and response.
behavior and response.
Also, classical conditioning always works Also, classical conditioning always works with
with involuntary responses while involuntary responses while operant conditioning
operant conditioning works with works with voluntary behaviors.
voluntary behaviors.
APPLICATION:
Operant conditioning has been widely applied in:
clinical settings (behavior modification)
teaching (classroom management)
instructional development (programmed
instruction)
PRINCIPLES:
Behavior that is positively reinforced will
reoccur; recurrent reinforcement is
particularly effective.
Information should be presented in small
amounts so that responses can be
reinforced (“shaping”).
Reinforcements will generalize across
similar stimuli (“stimulus generalization”)
producing secondary conditioning.
Behavior that is followed by pleasant How this is applied in the classroom?
consequences is likely to be repeated, and 1. Practice should take the form of question
behavior followed by unpleasant consequences (stimulus) and answer (response) which
is less likely to be repeated. expose the students to the subject in
Classical Vs Operant Conditioning gradual steps.
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING 2. Try to arrange the difficulty of the questions
so the response is always correct and
Pairs two stimuli hence, a positive reinforcement.
Always works with involuntary
3. Ensure that good performance in the lesson
response
is paired with secondary reinforcers such as
OPERANT CONDITIONING verbal praise, prizes, and good grades.
Pairs behavior and response
Always works with voluntary
behaviors
