Behaviorism

-The prediction and control of human

behaviour in which introspection and/or
independent thinking play no essential part of
it’s teaching methods.
Neo Behaviorism
-is a behaviour cannot be full understood
simply in terms of observable stimuli and
reactions. Neo behaviorism introduce
mediating variables into the behaviorist
stimulus-response scheme.
 Neo Behaviorism

Edward Tolman’s Albert Bandura’s

Purposive Behaviorism Social Learning Theory
 Tolman’s Purposive Behaviorism
Purposive behaviorism has also been reffered to as Sign Learning
Theory and is often seen as the link between behaviorism and cognitive
theory. Tolman’s theory was founded on two psychological views: those
of the Gestalt psychologists and those of John Watson, the behaviorist.

Tolman believed that learning is a cognitive process. Learning involves

forming beliefs and obtaining knowledgeabout
the environment and then revealing that knowledge
through purposeful and goal-directed behavior.
Tolman stated in his sign theory that an
organism learns by pursuing signs to a goal,
Ex. Learning is acquired through meaningful
behavior. He stressed the organized aspect of
learning:
“The stimuli which are allowed in are not connected by
just simple one-to-one switches to the outgoing
responses. Rather the incoming impulses are usually
worked over and elaborated in the central control room
into a tentative cognitive-like map of the environment.
And it is this tentative map, indicating routes and paths
and environmental relationships, which finally
determines what responses, if any, the animal will
finally make.”
 Tolman’s Key Conept
Learning is always purposive and goal-directed. Tolman
asserted the learning is always purposive and goal-directed. H e
believed individuals do more than merely respond to stimuli; th ey
act on beliefs, attitudes, changing conditions, and they strive
toward goals. Tolman saw behavior as holistic, purposive and
cognitive.
Cognitive maps (in rats)
This is tendency to “learn location” signified that rats somehow
formed cognitive maps that help them perform well on the maze.
They learned the location rather than a specific sequence of
turns. He also found out that oganisms will select the shortest or
easiest path to achieve a goal
Latent Learning.
Latent learning is a kind of learning that remains or stays with the
individual until needed. It is learning that is not outwardly manifested at
once. According to tolman it can exist even if without reinforcement.
The concept of intervening variable.
Intervening variables that are not readily seen but serve as determinats
of behavior. Tolman believe that learning is mediated or is influence by
expextations, perceptions, presentations, needs and other internal or
environmental variables. Example, in his experiments with rats he
found out that hunger was intervening variables.
Reinforcement not essential for learning.
Tolman concluded that reinforcement is not essential for learning,
although it provides an incentive for performance. In his studies, he
observed that a rat was able to acquire knowledge of the way through a
maze, i.e, to develop a cognitive map, even the absence of the
reinforcement.
 Albert Bandura’s Social
Learning Theory
Social learning theory focuses on the leaning that
occurs within a social context. It considers that
people learn from one another, including such
concepts as observational learning, imitation and
modeling. The ten-year old boy Sergio Pelico did
watch Saddam’s execution on TV and then must
have imitated it
Among others, Albert Bantura is considerd the
leading proponent of this theory.
 How the environment reinforces and
punishes modeling

People are often reinforced for modeling the behaviour of

others. Bandura suggested that the environment also reinforces
modeling. This is in several possible ways:
1. The observer is reinforce by the model.
2. The observer is reinforced by a third person, the observe might be
modeling the actions of someone else.
3. The imitated behaviour itself leads to to reinforcing consequences. Many
behaviours that we learn from others produce satisfying or reinforcing
results
4. Consequences of the model’s behaviour affect the observer’s behaviour
vicariously. This is known as vicarious reinforcement. This where the
model is reinforced for a response and then the observer shows an
increase in that same response.
Contemporary social learning perspective
of reinforcement and punishment
1. Contemporary theory proposes that both
reinforcement and punishment have
indirect effects on learning. They are not
the sole or main cause.
2. Reinforcement and punishment influence
the extent to which an individual exhibits
a behaviour that has been learned.
3. The expectation of reinforcement
influences cognitive processes that
promote learning.
Cognitive factors in social learning
Social learning theory has cognitive factors
as well as behaviorist factors.

1.Learning without performance: Bandura

makes a distinction between learning
through observation and the actual
imitation of what has been learned.

2.Cognitive processing during learning:

Social learning theorists contend that
attention is a critical factor in learning.

3.Expectations: As a result of being

reinforced, people form expectations about
the consequences that future behaviors are
likely to bring. They expect certain
behaviors to bring reinforcements and
others to bring punishment. The learner
needs to be aware, however, of the
response reinforcements and response
punishment. Reinforcement increases a
response only when the learner is aware of
that connection.
4.Reciprocal causation: Bandura proposed that
behavior can influence both the environment
and the person. In fact each of these three
variables, the person, the behavior, and the
environment can have an influence on each
other.

5.Modeling: There are different types of

models. There is the live model, an actual
person demonstrating the behavior. There can
also be a symbolic model, which can be a
person or action portrayed in some other
medium, such as television, videotape,
computer programs.
 Behaviours that can be
learned through modeling
Many behaviours can be learned, at least partly, through
modeling. Examples that can be cited are, students can
watch parents read, students can watch demonstration of
mathematics problems, or see someone act bravely in a
fearful situation. Aggression can be learned through
models. Research indicates that children become more
aggressive when they observed aggressive or violent
models. Moral thinking and moral behaviour are
influenced by observation and modeling. This includes
moral judgements regarding right and wrong which can,
in part, develop through modeling.
 Conditions necessary for
effective modeling to occur

Bandura mentions four conditions that are necessary before an

individual can be successfully model the behaviour of someone
else:

1. Attention- The person must pay attention to the model

2. Retention- The observe must be able to remember the
behviour that has been observed. One way of increasing
this is using the technique of rehearsal.
3. Motor Reproduction- The third condition is the ability to
replicate the behaviour that the model has just
demonstrated.
4. Motivation- The final necessary ingredient for modeling to
occur in motivation.
Effects of modeling on behavior:
1. Modeling teaches new behaviors.
2.Modeling influences the frequency of
previously learned behaviors.
3. Modeling may encourage previously
forbidden behaviors.
4. Modeling increases the frequency of similar
behaviors.
Educational implications of social learning
theory
1. Students often learn a great deal simply by
observing other people.
2.Describing the consequences of behavior
can effectively increase the appropriate
behaviors and decrease inappropriate ones.
3.Modeling provides an alternative to shaping
for teaching new behaviors. Instead of using
shaping, which is operant conditioning,
modeling can provide a faster, more efficient
means for teaching new behavior. To promote
effective modeling, a teacher must make sure
that the four essential conditions exist;
attention, retention, motor reproduction, and
motivation.
4.Teachers and parents must
model appropriate behaviors
and take care that they do not
model inappropriate
behaviors.

5.Teachers should expose

students to a variety of other
models. This technique is
especially important to break
down traditional stereotypes.
 Answers
1. Bandura
2. Latent Learning
3. Live Model
4. Symbolic Model
5. False (Reinforcement NOT
essential for learning)