Behaviorism (Behavioral Theory)
Behaviorism
Knowledge is acquired through experience and application according to a stimulus/response duality, which means that learning according to behaviorism is a change in the individual's external behavior when responding to external stimuli
Behaviorism studies behaviors that can be easily observed in an individual. Behavioral theory seeks to study and explain human behavior through an analysis of the conditions in which the individual lived, the results in their environment, and the experience gained from their previous experiences which will lead to the emergence of their present behavior
Behaviorsts see that learning is a result of the association between a stimulus and a response
Pioneers of Behaviorism
John Watson
Ivan Pavlov
B.F. Skinner
Edward Thorndike
John Watson's Experiment
John Watson conducted an experiment in which he took a child of about ten months old and he brought a white mouse for the child to play with. Really, the child began to play with the mouse and after some time, Watson began to make a sound that scared the child whenever he tried to approach the mouse. And by repeating the same action, the child began to be afraid of the white mouse, and whenever he saw, it he began to scream thinking that the terrifying sound was made by the mouse. Through his experiment, John Watson was trying to emphasize the effectiveness of his method of education and guiding the child according to what he saw to be right
Principles of Behaviorism
Learning is associated with results
Learning is related to the behavior we want to build
Most human behavior is learned
Learning is built by supporting and reinforcing performances
Behaviors are studied as being seen and explained
Behavior is the result of acquired experiences, not innate factors
There is attachment between stimuli and responses
Key concepts
Behaviour: Is a set of responses to stimuli in the immediate external environment
Stimulus: Is every object or every event that stimulates a sensory or behavioral effect in the living beings
Response: Is the behavior that the individual exhibits in response to a stimulus
Learning: It is a process of semi-permanent change in the behavior of the individual as a result of enhanced practice
