Behavioral approach to learning Flashcards
Learning
learning is any relatively permanent change in behaviour brought about through experience
Classical conditioning
learning through association between two stimuli (Pavlov & Watson)
Neutral Stimulus
initially does not trigger a response
Unconditioned stimulus
naturally triggers a response
unconditioned response
natural reaction to unconditioned stimulus
conditioned stimulus
neutral stimulus associated with unconditional stimulus
conditioned response
learned response to conditioned stimulus
operant conditioning
learning through consequences of behaviour (Thorndike & Skinner)
Reinforcement
Positive: adding a positive stimulus
Negative: removing an unpleasant stimulus
Punishment
positive: adding an unpleasant stimulus
negative: removing a positive stimulus
Classical conditioning in education
- Associate positive events with learning tasks
- gradual exposure to anxiety-provoking situations
- encourage appropriate generalization and discrimination
Operant conditioning in education
- use reinforcement to increase desirable behaviors
- apply punishment cautiously to decrease undesirable behaviors
- use prompts and shaping for behavioral development
- employ reinforcement schedules to maintain behaviors
Types of reinforcers
primary: innate (food, shelter)
secondary: learned (money, grades)
Effective use of reinforcers
Make them contingent and timely
Apply the Premack principle (“grandma’s rule”): preferred activities as rewards
Fixed/variable ratios
based on responses
Fixed/variable intervals
based on time
Guidlines for praise
- be clear and specific about behaviour
- make praise appreciative, not evaluative
- focus on individual progress rather than comparisons
- avoid public praise that may embarrass students
- recognize genuine accomplishments without exaggeration
Punishment considerations
pair punishment with reinforcement for appropriate behavior
use mild and brief punishment, emphasizing learning over fear
be consistent and avoid punishing in anger
issues with punishment
- may reinforce the punisher rather than correct behavior
- can suppress rather than teach desired behaviors
- risk of students disliking the punisher or escalating aggression
- potential for punishment to become reinforcing for attention-seeking behvavior
Extinction
weakening a behavior by removing its reinforcement
often accompanied by an initial increase in unwanted behavior
ABC analysis
Antecedent, behavior, consequence: analyzing behavior patterns to understand and address causes
