PGT201E

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY
PRACTICES

Chapter 3:
Behaviourism &
Cognitivism
 Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lecture, students will be able to:
 Define Behaviourist theory.
 Explain the core idea of Behaviourist Theory.
 Discuss the application of the Behaviourist
Theory.
 KEY TERMS YOU MUST BE ABLE TO USE
If you have mastered this topic, you should be
able to use the following terms correctly in
your assignments and exams:
• Behaviorism
• Classical Conditioning
• Operant Conditioning
• Punishment
• Reward
• Reinforcement
• Stimulus
• Response
 Learning Theories
 Learning theories attempt to explain how people
learn.
 There are multiple learning theories that take
different approaches to the ways people learn.
 Among the dominant learning theories are:
Learning
How people learn?
theory
Behaviorism Reactions to external stimuli.
Cognitivism Acquiring and storing information.
Constructivism Knowledge is constructed by learner.
 BEHAVIOURISM
 The earliest developed theory of learning.
 Focuses exclusively on behaviour (external stimuli).
All students are the same: Have no pre-requisite information about
the new knowledge until the teacher introduces it to them, which
subsequently change their behaviour.
• Knowledge in the person:
 Needs to be filled.
 Needs to be disciplined
 Needs to be trained.
 Behaviorism
 Focus only on observable and measurable behaviours. It means learning is
based on the observable change of behaviour (how people behave and how to
change or elicit particular behaviours).
 Invisible process incurred in mind should not be considered.
 Human mind and behavior is predictable and controllable.
 Behaviourism
• Behaviourists describe “conditioning” as a universal learning process, dividing it
into two types:
•classical conditioning occurs when a natural reflex responds to a stimulus.
•operant conditioning occurs when a response to a stimulus is reinforced.
•The key principle of Behaviourism is the reward or punishment of a new
behaviour, commonly described as the ‘carrot and stick’ approach to learning.

•The theory states that rewarding someone for particular behaviour

encourages him to behave in the same way in a similar situation. The reward
reinforces behaviour.
•Conversely, if behaviour is punished, the subject is less likely to repeat it.

In Behaviourism, people can learn not to do things as

well as to do things
 Behaviourism
 A stimulus leads to a response: S → R.
 Certain stimulus will evoke a particular response.
 The mind is viewed as a black box

In other words, the definition of learning under behaviorism was simplified to

simple conditioning: The stimulus and the response

• No : feelings, attitudes, and consciousness;

• Behaviourism is an ‘objectivist’ approach to teaching
 Theorist of Behaviourism

Contributors in the development of behaviourist theory:

• Ivan Pavlov (Classical Conditioning)
• B. F. Skinner (Operant Conditioning)
• Edward Thorndike (Law of Effect)
• John Broadus Watson (“Little Albert”
experiment)
Theorist of Behaviourism

 Important concept: “Conditioning”.

 It includes:
Pavlov  The use of stimulus to trigger certain behaviour
through drilling or repetition basis.
 Reflexes, or responses that are evoked from a specific
Skinner stimulus.
 By presenting the stimulus to the learners, they will be able
to know what to expect, hence aiding learners in obtaining
Thorndike the required behaviour.

Watson
Theorist of Behaviourism

Example : Teacher always carries an

Pavlov
orange file when he wants to do a quiz.
After a few months, when students see
Skinner the orange file, they expect a quiz, even
though sometimes there is no quiz.
Thorndike

Watson When you see

this: What do you
think of?
Theorist of Behaviourism Classroom

Pavlov

Skinner

Thorndike

Watson
Theorist of Behaviourism

Pavlov theory on S to R relationship has been improved

Pavlov by Skinner – introduced Operant Conditioning

Pavlov
Skinner

Thorndike

Watson

Skinner
Theorist of Behaviourism

Pavlov

Skinner

Thorndike

Watson
Theorist of Behaviourism

Pavlov

Skinner

Thorndike

Watson
 Theorist of Behaviourism
(B. F. Skinner (Operant Conditioning))
 Theorist of Behaviourism
(B. F. Skinner (Operant Conditioning))

 Positive: You are ADDING something.

 Negative: You are TAKING something away.
 Punishment: Something that DECREASES your dog from continuing a behaviour.
 Reinforcement: Something that INCREASES your dog to continue a behaviour.
Theorist of Behaviourism

 Example: Whenever the students in the class

Pavlov
perform well in pop quizzes or tests, the
teacher could distribute bars of chocolate to
Skinner the students (+ reinforcement).
 Example: If student frequently fails to hand in
Thorndike homework, teacher would call up and notify
parents (- reinforcement).
Watson  Students will respond differently based on the
treatment – happy (+ reinforcements), sad (-
reinforcements), fear (punishment).
Theorist of Behaviourism
 Behaviourism’s influence is still strong in
corporate and military training, and in some
Pavlov areas of science, engineering, and medical
training.
 It can be of particular value for learning of facts
Skinner or standard procedures such as:
 multiplication tables.
Thorndike  for dealing with children or adults with
limited cognitive ability due to brain
disorders.
Watson  for compliance with industrial or business
standards or processes that are invariant and
do not require individual judgement.
 These are basically traditional way of
teaching where teacher teaches and student
listens (teacher-centered) and learners are
expected to be passive.
Theorist of Behaviourism

Pavlov

Skinner

Thorndike

Watson
Theorist of Behaviourism

• Edward Thorndike came up with the concept

of instrumental conditioning and, like Pavlov,
reached his main conclusions using data
Pavlov
gained through animal-based experimentation.
• Puzzle Box was an instrument designed by
Thorndike for studying learning in animals,
Skinner namely cats and dogs. The box was built as a
cage with a simple locking mechanism

Thorndike

Watson
Theorist of Behaviourism

Pavlov

Skinner

Thorndike

Watson

A simplified visualization of Thorndike’s Puzzle Box Study on a

Cat.
a) A fish was used to tempt the cat into escape.
b) The cat pushed the bar, unlocking the gate on its side.
c) The cat pulled the string, unlocking the gate on its top.
d) The cat pushed down the gate and escaped the box.
Theorist of Behaviourism
Drawing from his studies of animal learning, Thorndike introduced the two
laws for habit formation in the learning process:
Law of Exercise states that, the
more REPETITIVELY or strongly a
Pavlov behaviour is connected to a
situation, the more likely that
behaviour is to be performed in
Skinner response to the same situation in
the future.
• Rather common sense to us,
this law refers to practice in
Thorndike learning.
• Take the animal’s
improvement in unlocking
the Puzzle Box by Thorndike
Watson (1898) over many attempts
as an example: the animal
was familiarized with
movements that linked more
consistently to the escape,
and concentrated on such
movements in later
attempts, which led to its
being quicker and quicker in
escaping.
Practice makes perfect
The Law of Effect, meanwhile, refers to
CONSEQUENCES: the more satisfying a
consequence associated with a behaviour is,
the more likely that behaviour is to be
performed again; likewise, the more
dissatisfying a consequence associated with a
behaviour is, the more unlikely that
behaviour is to be performed again.
• Briefly speaking, pleasant consequences
to a behaviour encourage it, while
unpleasant ones discourage it.
• This law was reflected in Thorndike’s
studies with cats (1898) as in how the
animals stopped making ineffective
movements for escape, such as trying to
squeeze themselves through the gap
between the bars, after these movements
left them frustrated.
• As emphasized by Thorndike (1912), Law
of Effect is significant in education as a
fundamental principle for building desired
habits and eliminating undesired
behaviours.
Controlling behavior
Behaviourist Learning Technology
 Instructional technology has its roots in behaviourism.
 Learning technologies that were intended to encourage practice
and reinforcement of specific tasks were developed.
 The rise of education technologies occurred within the
behaviourist school of thought. These include:
 Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) or Computer-assisted
learning (CAL)
 Educational multimedia.
 Game based learning
Behaviourist Learning Technology
Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI):
Behaviourist Learning Technology
Examples of technologies based on behaviourist
learning theory: Modern Educational Multimedia
 Educational games

Why are games based on behaviourism ????

• Reward or punishment for the player’s behaviour.
• Games require the performance of a repetitive task
to achieve some goal or reward
• Traditional positive reinforces in computer games
include the following:
•Points
•Power-ups
•Bonuses
•Unlocks
• Negative reinforces include:
•Failure to beat high score
•An increase in obstacles or opponents
•A decline in health
THANK YOU