Group+3-+behaviorist+theory

=**Description:**= Students learning is focused on observable behaviors. Learning is defined as the aquisition of new behavior in a student. = = =What Behaviorist Theory looks like in a classroom:= = = - Teacher gives positive reinforcement- rewarding students for good behavior - Teacher gives negative reinforcement- punishing students for bad behavior. - Theory cannot explain some learning- such as recognition of new language patterns because that has no reinforcement mechanism. - It relies only on observable behaviors and describes several universal laws of behavior - Students should be active. - People learn when they have a chance to behave.

=Other examples of Behaviorist Theory=

-Classical Conditioning- natural reflex to a stimulus. Ex) Pavlov's dogs salivate when they see or eat food. -Operant Conditioning- occurs when a response to a stimulus is reinforced. If reinforcement follows the response to a stimulus, that response becomes more likely to occur in the future.

=Assumptions of Behaviorist Theory:=

- Principles of learning apply equally to different behaviors and to different species of animals. (Equipotentiality) - Learning processes can be studied most objectively when the focus of study is on stimuli and responses. - Learning involves a behavior change. - Organisms are born as blank slates- they know nothing when they are born. - Learning is largely the result of environmental events.

=**Theorists for Behaviorist Theory:**= - Ivan Pavlov- His ideas played a large role in the behaviorist theory of psychology, introduced by John Watson around 1913 - **Edward Thorndike-** Law of effect: Responses to a situation that are followed by satisfaction are strengthened; responses that are followed by discomfort are weakened. - **John B. Watson-** He was especially interested in stimulus-response reactions to various situations, such as rats going through a maze. - **Clark L. Hull-** Proposed that a number of intervening variables must be considered in order to predict the likelihood and strength of a response's occurrence - **Burrhus Frederic Skinner-** Introduced the theory of operant conditioning
 * - Edwin R. Guthrie-** Guthrie had the notion of one-trial learning - that an S-R connection is fully formed on one pairing.

=**Other Links for more information and references:**=

http://www.funderstanding.com/behaviorism.cfm

http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/implementaliteracyprogram/behavioristtheoriesoflearning.htm

http://www.psychnet-uk.com/psychotherapy/psychotherapy_behaviorism.htm

http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Behaviorism

http://www.msu.edu/~kalinkat/professionalpages/TechMatrixMaterials/BehaviorismSummary.htm