BEHAVIORISM

B.F Skinner says:

Teachers must

learn how to
teach they need
only to be taught
more effective
ways of teaching.

What is Behaviorism?
Behaviorism is an approach

topsychologythat combines elements of

philosophy, methodology, and theory.
The primary tenet of behaviorism is that
psychology should concern itself with
observable events. In practice, this often
means focusing on public events (behaviors of
the individual) while ignoring private events
(thoughts of the individual).

Behaviorism sees learning as a complex

process of responses to several kinds of

distinct stimuli.
A reinforcement is defined as a stimulus that
strengthen the response, which is to say that
it makes it more probable, or alters its
frequency.
Skinner, holds that the mind at work cannot
be observed, tested, or understood; thus,
behaviorists are concerned with actions
(behavior) as the sites of knowing, teaching,
and learning.

The technology of
teaching
One of the keys to effective teaching is

discovering the best consequence to shape

the behavior.
Consequences transpire:

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

REINFORCEMENT

NEGATIVE

VERBAL BEHAVIOR
In Verbal Behavior, Skinner outlined his

analysis of VB which describes a group of

verbal operants, or functional units of
language.
Skinner explained that language could be
analyzed into a set of functional units, with
each type of operant serving a different
function.
AVB is ABA with a focus on Skinners analysis
of verbal behavior; it is the application of the
science of behavior analysis to teaching
verbal behavior.

Pavlovs drooling dogs

http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/i

The Illusion of Free Will

One of the assumptions of many behaviorists is

that free will is illusory, and that all behavior is

determined by a combination of forces.
These forces comprise genetic factors as well as
the environment either through association or
reinforcement.
Behaviorists believe that the environment is the
primary influence that determines who
individuals will be and the behavior they will
choose. Hence, the reason why free will is only
an illusion or imaginary deduction.