Behaviorism and C ogntivism

1. Behaviorism and Cogntivism Enrique Rivera Instructional Design Mr. Crosslin 10/16/10

2. Behaviorism: is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment. According to behaviorism, behavior can be studied in a systematic and observable manner with no consideration of internal mental states.

3. There are two major types of conditioning: Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning

4. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING: • is a technique used in behavioral training in which a naturally occurring stimulus is paired with a response. • Next, a previously neutral stimulus is paired with the naturally occurring stimulus. • Eventually, the previously neutral stimulus comes to evoke the response without the presence of the naturally occurring stimulus. • The two elements are then known as the conditioned stimulus and the conditioned response.

5. OPERANT CONDITIONING: • Is a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. • Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior.

6. One of the leaders of behaviorism "The consequences of behavior determine the probability that the behavior will occur again“ -- B.F Skinner B.F. Skinner

7. B.F. Skinner • B.F. Skinner is famous for his research on operant conditioning and negative reinforcement. • He developed a device called the "cumulative recorder," which showed rates of responding as a sloped line. • Using this device, he found that behavior did not depend on the preceding stimulus as Watson and Pavlov maintained. • Instead, Skinner found that behaviors were dependent upon what happens after the response. Skinner called this operant behavior.

8. Behaviorism impact on teaching The behaviorist approach to teaching has practical applications in education. In particular, understanding basic skills and core subject knowledge. The approach of using positive and negative reinforcements to elicit desired behaviors of students is also useful in establishing and maintaining classroom management. • Typical classroom instruction consistent with the behaviorist theory includes; classroom management, rote memorization, and drill and practice.

9. Behaviorist Adult Education Behaviorist adult education has inspired many of the current practices in e-learning, from the design of courses using the mastery model to such advanced practices as learning objects linked to behavioral objectives, personalization of content based on gap analysis, and competency modeling. • In its most extreme form, behaviorist education is simply training that teaches learners rote behaviors through drill and practice. • This philosophy has been adopted by corporate training because it is grounded in psychological principles that efficiently produce overt, observable, and measurable outcomes, which are popular in corporate environments that are also focused on measurable results. • Behaviorist adult education lends itself to clear and measurable outcomes.

10. Cognitivism Cognitivism is a theory which attempts to answer how and why people learn by attributing the process to cognitive activity. This theory followed the behaviorist school of thought. The cognitivists’ quarrel with the behaviorists was that their focus on observable behavior did not account for what was going on in the mind.

11. The cognitivist revolution replaced behaviorism in 1960s as the dominant paradigm. • The cognitivist paradigm essentially argues that the “black box” of the mind should be opened and understood. The learner is viewed as an information processor (like a computer). • Mental processes such as thinking, memory, knowing, and problem-solving need to be explored. • Knowledge can be seen as schema or symbolic mental constructions. • Learning is defined as change in a learner’s schemata.

12. Contributor to Cognitivism He described the domains of learning. He identified three: • cognitive • affective • Psychomotor He also designed Bloom’s Taxonomy: Benjamin Bloom

13. In Cogntivism, learning is a change in knowledge stored in memory. Information processing is governed by an internal process — rather than external circumstance as emphasized by behaviorism. The process includes selecting information (attention), translating information (encoding), and recalling that information when appropriate (retrieval).

14. Behaviorism & Cognitivism They agree on many general points about the study of psychology. Where they differ primarily is on the issue of whether mental representations play a role in the generation of behavior. This difference has led to some methodological differences as well: cognitivists use computers to model psychological phenomena whereas behaviorists rarely did. However, these two divergent perspectives provide unique approaches to how learning takes place.

15. References • BullyingNewsVideo (2008, September 13) Classical Conditioning - Ivan Pavlov [video file] Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhqumfpxuzI • Patricia M. Davis, (1999). Behaviorist theories of learning Retrieved from http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/implementaliteracyprogram/behavioristtheoriesoflearning.htm • Brenda Mergel, (1998, May) Instructional Design & Learning Theory Retrieved from http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm