Topic 5 Behaviorism Updated

Behaviorism
Topic 5
Content
a.Classical conditioning
i. Pavlov’s approach
ii.Watson and behaviorism
b.Operant conditioning
i. Thorndike, trial-and-error learning and the law of effect
ii.Skinner and operant conditioning
c. Classroom applications of behaviorist views
i. Antecedents and consequences of behavior
ii.Applying the A-B-C method
iii.Understanding consequences
iv.Reinforcement schedules
Key terms
• Behaviors are actions that are observable and
measurable.
• Learning refers to permanent or relatively
permanent changes in individuals that results
from instruction or experience.
• Behaviorism is the science of observable
behavior.
Key terms
• Stimulus refers to an environmental condition or
event that activates the senses.
• Response refers to an observable reaction to a
known (for unknown) stimulus.
Classical conditioning
a.Classical conditioning
i. Pavlov’s approach
ii.Watson and behaviorism
Pavlov’s experiment
Classical conditioning
• Neutral stimulus (NS) refers to an event or happening that
has no effect on an organism.
• Unconditioned stimulus (US) refers to an object, event or
happening in the physical environment that causes
spontaneous activity in an organism.
• Unconditioned response (UR) refers to an action triggered
spontaneously by a stimulus.
• Conditioning refers to the establishment of a new
association between a stimulus and a response.
Neutral stimulus and unconditioned
response
• Natural stimulus (Sound)
• Unconditioned stimulus
(food)
• Unconditioned response
(salvation)
Conditioned stimulus and
conditioned response
• Conditioned stimulus (sound)
• It refers to a previously neutral
stimulus that elicits a conditioned
response after pairing with an
unconditioned stimulus.
• Conditioned response (salvation)
• It refers to a response evoked by a
conditioned stimulus.
Group work
• Think of situations where neutral, unconditioned and
conditioned stimuli and responses are observed.
Discrimination, generalization and
extinction
• Discrimination refers to learning that is appropriate to
respond to some stimulus but not to others.
• Stimulus generalization refers to the tendency for the
conditioned stimulus to evoke similar responses after the
response has been conditioned.
Watson and his experiment.
Watson and behaviorism
• A child’s environment is the factor that shapes
behaviors over their genetic makeup or natural
temperament.
Strengths of classical conditioning
• Use stimulus to alter behaviors
Limitations of classical conditioning

• Some behaviors are not automated responses.
Operant conditioning
a.Operant conditioning
i. Thorndike, trial-and-error learning and the law of effect
ii.Skinner and operant conditioning
Operant conditioning
• Operant conditioning refers to the use of positive and
negative consequences of weaken voluntary behavior.
• It is also known as instrumental conditioning.
• It is a method of learning that employs rewards and
punishments for behavior.
Thorndike, trial-and-error learning and the
law of effect
• An association is between a behavior and a negative
or positive consequence for that behavior.
• Trial-and-error learning refers to an explanation of
learning that states that when an individual is placed
in a problem solving situation, the correct response
will be learnt through being reinforced.
Thorndike’s trial-and-error learning
• Law of effect refers to responses that have a satisfying
outcome are likely to be strengthened and repeated.
• Law of exercise refers to connections between actions
and new consequences are strengthened the more
they are repeated.
Skinner and operant conditioning
• Operant refers to voluntary actions, usually goal-
directed.
• Respondents refer to elicited or reflex reactions to a
specific stimulus.
• Reinforcement refers to increasing or strengthening
the likelihood of a behavior recuring through use of
contingent feedbacks.
Strengths of operant conditioning
• Contribution to classroom practices
Limitations of operant conditioning

• ???
Implications in the classroom
• Careful observation and identification of the target behaviors
• Clearly stated objectives for the targeted behavioral change
• A carefully sequenced instructional plan
• Reward of the learner with a carefully devised reinforcement
schedule
• Continual monitoring of progress, measurement of change
and adjustment
Classroom applications of behaviorist views
i. Antecedents and consequences of behavior
ii.Applying the A-B-C method
iii.Understanding consequences
iv.Reinforcement schedules
Antecedents and consequences of behavior
• Antecedent-behavior-consequence (A-B-C) refers to
behavior represented as an ongoing chain of activity
involving events that immediately precede the
behavior and that follow it.
• Antecedent is an event that leads a behavior.
• Consequence is an event that follows a behavior.
Applying the A-B-C method
• Antecedents
• When and where does the disruption occur? What
happens immediately before?
• Behavior
• What does the child do, when does the child do it and
what is usually happening when the behavior occurs?
• Consequences
• What happens immediately following the behavior? What
is the function of the behavior and what are the positive
or negative outcomes for the child?
Group work
• Can you identify the precise nature of the inappropriate that
annoyed Toms’ teacher, and the A-B-Cs associated with these
actions?
• What changes could Tom’s teacher make to reduce Tom’s
inappropriate actions?
• What appropriate behavior could be encouraged? How
might this be done?
• Baseline refers to level of a specific behavior prior to
intervention.
• Rate (frequency of occurrence)
• Duration (how long the behavior lasts)
• Latency (length of time delay between antecedent
event and occurrence of behavior)
Understanding consequences
• Reinforcer refers to any event that strengthens the
behaviors it follows.
• Aversive refers to a contingency applied stimulus that
the recipient finds understandable and which reduces
the behavior it follows.
Reinforcement
• Contingency refers to reinforcement that is only given
when the target behavior is produced.
• Positive reinforcement refers to increasing the
likelihood of a behavior occurring by contingent of
presentation of a reward immediately following.
• Negative reinforcement refers to increasing the
likelihood of a behavior being repeated by
contingency removing an aversive choice or activity.
Reinforcement
• Primary reinforcement
• An unconditioned fun-learned stimulus that is innately or
rewarding.
• Secondary reinforcement
• A conditioned stimulus that functions as a reward
• Satiation
• A stimulus that originally functioned as
reinforcement
Reinforcement schedules
• Reinforcement schedule is the frequency with which
reinforcement is delivered.
• Ratio schedules refers to when a reward is given in a
predetermined ratio the ratio to the number of
responses.
• Interval schedules refers to when a reward is given after
a set period of time.
• Extinction refers to reduction and cessation of
response following withdrawal of reinforcement.
• Punishment refers to weakening or reducing behavior
through contingent use of assessment.
Teaching new behaviors (Group
work)
• Shaping
• Chaining
• Cueing and Prompting
• Modelling
Links to read and discuss
• https://mindyouryoungsters.weebly.com/modeling-shaping-and-cuein
g.html
• https://behaviorplace.com/tips/what-is-shaping-and-chaining
• https://www.unl.edu/asdnetwork/virtual-strategies/chaining
• https://paradigmbehavior.com/blog/prompt-vs-cues
• http://ceed.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cuing.pdf
Teaching new behaviors
• Shaping refers to reinforcement of gradual
approximations of the target behavior.
• Small steps that lead towards the final goal are
reinforced.
• Fading reinforcers requires that the individual
respond in closer and closer approximations to the
target behavior before reinforcement is delivered
• Chaining occurs when one functions both as a

reinforcer for the previous action and as a stimulus for
the next.
• Break down into a sequence of smaller tasks.
• Cueing refers to using a specific stimulus to elicit a
desired response.
• Prompting refers to providing an additional stimulus
to elicit a desired response.
• Visual prompts
• Gestural prompts
• Positional prompts
• Modelling refers to a model of prompting that
involves demonstrating a desired response for
someone to imitate.
• Fading refers to the gradual removal of prompts of
reinforcements.
Task analysis
• Task analysis refers to breaking a task into series
of manageable steps to assist learning.
Maintenance and generalization of
behavior
• Maintenance refers to the continued performance of
a learnt action after instruction has ceased.
• Generalization refers to learning to response to
stimuli that similar but not the same as those that
previously triggered a response.
Implications in classroom
• Precision teaching
• Break down the tasks into a set of manageable steps and a set number of
examples of the task.
• Mastery learning
• A method of instruction that allows for all students, both fast and slow,
to reach ‘mastery’ or predetermined level in an instructional sequence
before moving on to the next learning task.
• Direct instruction
• A teaching method that is based on explicit teaching and testing of skills
considered essential for mastery in a subject area.
• Learning objectives are clearly defined and carefully sequenced.
Strengths of behavioral approaches
• Be able to teach new skills and behaviors quickly and efficiently.

Limitations of behaviorism
• Lack of focus on cognition parts.
• Dependent on extrinsic motivation.

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Behaviorism

Limitations of classical conditioning

Limitations of operant conditioning

• Chaining occurs when one functions both as a

• Be able to teach new skills and behaviors quickly and efficiently.

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