Behaviorism

Behaviorism is a theory of learning that focuses on only objectively observable behaviors, without considering the mental aspects. According to behaviorists, learning is nothing more than the acquisition of a new behavior. Individuals learn new behaviors through conditioning. Behaviorism is well known for two conditioning theories: Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning.

Developed by B.F. Skinner, the basic principle of Operant Conditioning is that many of the voluntary responses of animals and humans are strengthened through reinforcements (rewards) once the expected behavior is performed. In addition, the voluntary responses can also be weakened by negative reinforcements, such as punishment.

When it comes to learning, educators most commonly employ a system of rewards and punishments in order to teach new materials or even proper behavior. For example, students that do their reading and homework are rewarded (positive reinforcement) with good grades. In order to main classroom management, teachers use rules and consequences (negative reinforcement) to prevent students from misbehaving.

Classic Conditioning occurs when a natural reflex responds to a stimulus. The most popular example is Pavlov's observation that dogs salivate when they eat or even see food. Essentially, animals and people are biologically "wired" so that a certain stimulus will produce a specific response.

When it comes to learning, educators use classic conditioning in order to elicit a specific response. For example, a teacher can start the school year rewarding all students that do their homework. As the year progresses, the teacher stops rewarding the student. In other words, one week the students are not rewarded, then the next week rewards resume. This forces students to complete their work, thinking they are going to get a reward. Eventually the rewards are removed and the students continue to complete their homework because they are already conditioned to their homework.

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