THEORY OF

CONNECTIONISM
an S – R Theory

Facilitating Learner-
Centered Teaching
Mr. Nover D. Esteban
 Connectionism Theory

 Edward L. Thorndike

• the original S-R framework of behavioral

psychology. (Educational Psychology)
• He explained that learning is the result of
associations forming between stimuli (S) and
responses (R).
• Such associations or "habits" become strengthened
or weakened by the nature and frequency of the S-
R pairings.
Edward Lee Thorndike
1874-1949
 Connectionism Theory

 Edward L. Thorndike

Thorndike's theory on connectionism,

states that learning takes place when a
strong connection or bond between
stimulus and response is formed.
Edward Lee Thorndike
1874-1949
Three Laws of Connectionism

Law of • behaviors followed by positive consequences (rewards) are more

likely to be repeated,
• behaviors followed by negative consequences (punishments) are

Effect less likely to be repeated.

Law of • the strength of a connection between a stimulus and a response

is determined by the frequency of their co-occurrence.

Exercise
• the more often a stimulus and response are paired, the stronger
the connection becomes.

Law of • learning is most effective when the learner is ready or prepared

to make a particular response.

Readiness
• Readiness can be influenced by internal factors such as
motivation and external factors like the environment.
Principles Derived
 Learning requires both practice and rewards
(laws of effect/exercise)
 A series of S-R connections can be chained
together if they belong to the same action
sequence (law of readiness).
 Transfer of learning occurs because of
previously encountered situations.
 Intelligence is a function of the number of
connections learned.
Criticisms
 negative rewards (punishment) do not necessarily weaken
bonds
 Some pleasurable consequences do not necessarily motivate
performance.
 practice without feedback does not necessarily enhance
performance
Nevertheless
 Thorndike's Theory of Connectionism has had a significant
impact on the understanding of learning and behavior, and it
laid the foundation for the development of modern theories of
operant conditioning and behavior modification.
 It is important to note that while Thorndike's work is
foundational, it has been further developed and refined by
subsequent researchers in the field of psychology.
 OPERANT
CONDITIONING
Facilitating Learner-
Centered Teaching
Mr. Nover D. Esteban
Try This!

1. What is a reinforcer?

a) Anything that the subject likes

b) Anything that decreases the frequency
of a behavior
c) Anything that follows a behavior and
increases the frequency of a behavior
d) Anything that the subject will work for
Try This!

2. What is a punishment?

a) Anything that the subject will work to avoid

b) Any unpleasant stimulus
c) Anything that the subject dislikes
d) Anything that decreases the frequency of a
behavior
Try This!
3. Which of the following is a primary
reinforcer for humans?

a) Money
b) A book
c) The sound of a bell
d) Food
Try This!
4. Which of the following would be a
secondary reinforcer for a rat?

a) Food
b) The opportunity to escape a shock by
pressing a lever
c) Sex
d) Water
Try This!
5. Which of the following is an example of
positive reinforcement?

a) Taking away dessert if a child doesn't finish

his dinner
b) Giving a child money for helping around the
house
c) Spanking a child for walking into the street
d) Taking away privileges if a child doesn't
finish his homework
Try This!
6. Which of the following is an example of
negative reinforcement?

a) Jerking a dog's collar when it pulls ahead

b) Removing collar pressure on a dog's neck
when it walks next to you
c) Giving a dog a treat when it walks next to
you
d) Praising a dog for walking next to you
Try This!
7. Which of the following is an example of a
positive punishment?

a) Writing the name of a misbehaving student on

the chalkboard
b) Taking away recess and giving study hall to a
student who didn't finish his homework
c) Not letting a misbehaving student go to recess
d) Giving a gold star to a student who does good
work.
Try This!
8. Which of the following is an example of a
negative punishment?

a) Hitting a dog that snaps

b) Isolating a dog that snaps
c) Jerking a choke collar on a dog that snaps
d) Giving a treat to a dog that snaps
Operant Conditioning

 Burrhus Frederic Skinner

(B.F. Skinner)

A type of learning in which a person

repeats a behavior that has been
reinforced or decreases/ceases a
behavior that has been punished.
A B
 Reinforcement – stimulus that increases the
probability of the behavior to be repeated.

 Punishment – stimulus which decreases the

probability that the behavior will be repeated
 Reinforcement

a) Primary – basic needs

b) Secondary – value of something that is
acquired when associated with primary
reinforcer.
Remember

REINFORCEMENT vs. PUNISHMENT

Good Behavior Bad Behavior

Types

Positive Negative
(add/give a stimulus) (remove/take away a stimulus)

Reinforcement Positive Negative

(good behavior) Reinforcement Reinforcement

Positive Negative
Punishment
(bad behavior) Punishment Punishment
 Positive Negative
(add/give stimulus) (remove/take away stimulus)

A student is working diligently A student is working

on his school work, diligently on his school work,
Reinforcement as consequence he was given a as a consequence the teacher
(good behavior) high remarks. removed some of his
homework

Punishment A student is always sleeping in A student is using his

(bad behavior) the class, as a consequence the cellphone during class, as a
teacher verbally scolded the consequence the teacher
students. confiscated the cellphone.
Try This!
 Whenever the mother sees her children behave
well, she would reduce their time cleaning the house.
 Mr. Jones is in the habit of offering extra credit
points on the next exam to his pupils who contribute
to the class discussions.
 Anna played her tablet all day, as a result her
mother confiscated her device.
 Alex quarreled with her classmate on their way
home, as a result he wasn’t allowed to leave the
house to play.
Reinforcement Schedules
1. Continuous Reinforcement Schedule: In this
schedule, a reward (reinforcer) is provided every
time the desired behavior is exhibited. This type of
schedule is useful for quickly establishing a new
behavior, but it can lead to faster extinction when
the reinforcement is removed.
2. Partial Reinforcement Schedule: In this schedule,
rewards are not given every time the behavior is
performed. Instead, they are provided
intermittently (Interval and Ratio).
Reinforcement Schedules
Interval ------ amount of time Fixed ----- follows a pattern
Ratio ------ number of correct responses Variable ----- no pattern/unpredictable
 Fixed Interval (FI) Schedules. The target response is reinforced after a fixed amount of time has
passed since the last reinforcement.
 For example, the mouse in a cage is given food (reinforcer) every 10 minutes, regardless of how
many times it presses the bar.
 Variable Interval (VI) Schedules. This is similar to fixed interval schedules but the amount of time
that must pass between reinforcement varies.
 For example, the mouse may receive food (reinforcer) at different intervals, not every ten
minutes.
 Fixed Ratio (FR) Schedules. A fixed number of correct responses must occur before reinforcement
may recur.
 For example, the mouse will be given food (reinforcer) every time it presses the bar 5 times.
 Variable Ratio (VR) Schedules. The number of correct repetitions of the correct response for
reinforcement varies.
 For example, the mouse is given food (reinforcer) after it presses the bar 3 times, then after 10
times, then after 4 times. So the mouse will not be able to predict how many times it needs to
press the bar before it gets food again.
Rationalization

1. What is a reinforcer?

a) Anything that the subject likes

b) Anything that decreases the frequency
of a behavior
c) Anything that follows a behavior and
increases the frequency of a behavior
d) Anything that the subject will work for
Rationalization

2. What is a punishment?

a) Anything that the subject will work to avoid

b) Any unpleasant stimulus
c) Anything that the subject dislikes
d) Anything that decreases the frequency of a
behavior
Rationalization
3. Which of the following is a primary
reinforcer for humans?

a) Money
b) A book
c) The sound of a bell
d) Food
Rationalization
4. Which of the following would be a
secondary reinforcer for a rat?

a) Food
b) The opportunity to escape a shock by
pressing a lever
c) Sex
d) Water
Rationalization
5. Which of the following is an example of
positive reinforcement?

a) Taking away dessert if a child doesn't finish

his dinner
b) Giving a child money for helping around the
house
c) Spanking a child for walking into the street
d) Taking away privileges if a child doesn't
finish his homework
Rationalization
6. Which of the following is an example of
negative reinforcement?

a) Jerking a dog's collar when it pulls ahead

b) Removing collar pressure on a dog's neck
when it walks next to you
c) Giving a dog a treat when it walks next to
you
d) Praising a dog for walking next to you
Rationalization
7. Which of the following is an example of a
positive punishment?

a) Writing the name of a misbehaving student on

the chalkboard
b) Taking away recess and giving study hall to a
student who didn't finish his homework
c) Not letting a misbehaving student go to recess
d) Giving a gold star to a student who does good
work.
Rationalization
8. Which of the following is an example of a
negative punishment?

a) Hitting a dog that snaps

b) Isolating a dog that snaps
c) Jerking a choke collar on a dog that snaps
d) Giving a treat to a dog that snaps
Criticisms
 The theory fails to take into account the internal mental thoughts and
cognitive factors that influence learning, memory and behavior. This makes
the effort to understand and explain the learning process in humans and
animals incomplete.
 For example, operant conditioning falls short when explaining the social
learning theory of 1977 by Bandura, which suggests that humans can
learn automatically through observation rather than personal
experience.
 Another criticism of the operant conditioning has been from the
psychologists who argue that the theory cannot be generalized in humans
by conducting studies on animals as their anatomy and physiology
differs from humans.
 Operant conditioning learning has always existed in the environment
ever since the beginning of time. The theory of Skinner simply helped
humans to understand the term and think about the new range of
possibilities through this method.
 Not all behaviors that are being reinforced will be repeated and not all
behaviors that are being punished will cease.
Give examples of classroom situations using a
positive/negative reinforcement and
positive/negative punishment

Give three example situations for each:

1. Positive Reinforcement
2. Negative Reinforcement
3. Positive Reinforcement
4. Negative Reinforcement