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4th Year English University Notebook

Written by:

Djarloul Miloud

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Behaviourism: They consider themselves as scientists, that is, everything that is seen can be studied. Behaviourism is a philosophy of learning that only focuses on objectively observable behaviours

and discounts mental activities. Behaviour theorists define learning as nothing more than the acquisition of a new behaviour.

Behaviourism is primary associated with Pavlov (classical conditioning in Russia) and with Thornedyk Watson and particularly Skinner in USA (Operate Conditioning of Skinner).

In educational settings, behaviourism implies the dominance of the teacher, as in behaviour modification programs.

Note: Pavlov trains his dog to eat when he hears the bell. This is the job of the teacher, which is training

students to do a certain task. 1. Pavlov's classical conditioning:

It is a process of Reflex Learning investigated by Pavlov through which an unconditioned stimulus (food) which produces an unconditioned response (salivation) is presented together with a conditioned stimulus (the bell), such that, the salivation is eventually produced on the presentation of the stimulus, thus becoming a conditioned response.

This is a discipline account of our common sense experience of learning by association. Although that is often much more complex than a reflex process.

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Dog

Meat (Stimulus) Conditioned

Salivation (Response)

Unconditioned

Dog Bell+Meat (Stimulus) Conditioned

Salivation (Response) Conditioned

2. Operate Conditioning: If, when an organism emits a behaviour (does something), the consequences of that behaviour are

re-enforcing, it is more likely to emit do it again. What counts as reinforcement, of course is based on the evidence of the repeated behaviour, which makes the whole argument circular. Learning is really about the increased probability of a behaviour based on reinforcement which has

taken place in the past, this is called: The Antecedent.

Skinner's Operate Conditioning 13/11/2012

There are four types of operate conditioning: 1. Positive reinforcement:

A particular behaviour is strengthened by the consequence of experiencing a positive conditioning. Ex: a hungry rat 🐀 presses a bar and receives food. 🍛

The rat's behaviour of pressing the bar is strengthened by the consequence of receiving food.

Note: If a student gets a positive behaviour from the teacher, he will try to get the same positive

reinforcement. 2. Negative reinforcement:

A particular behaviour is strengthened by the consequence of stopping a positive conditioning. Ex: a rat🐀 is placed in a cage and immediately receives an electrical shock ⚡ on its feet.

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Antecedent

Consequences Behaviours

The shock is a negative condition for the rat. The rat 🐀 presses a bar 🚨 and suddenly the shock stops. 😙 The rat's behaviour of pressing a bar is strengthened by the consequence of receiving a

positive conditioning (stopping the sock). Note:

The student does a bad behaviour 🏃 , and he receives a negative reinforcement from the teacher 😡 , so he will stop behaving in this way to avoid getting a negative reinforcement.🙇 3. Punishment:

A particular behaviour is weakened by the consequence of experiencing a negative conditioning. Ex: the rat 🐀 presses a bar in its cage and receives an electrical shock ⚡ in its feet.

The shock ⚡ is a negative conditioning for the rat 🐀 . The rat presses the bar again and again and receives shock. The rat's behaviour of pressing the bar is weakened by the consequence of receiving a

shock. 4. Extension:

A particular behaviour is weakened by the consequence of not experiencing a positive condition or stopping a negative condition. Ex: a rat presses a bar in its cage and nothing happened. Neither a positive or negative condition is received. The rat presses the bar again and again. The rat's behaviour of pressing the bar is weakened by the consequence of not experiencing something positive or stoping something negative.

Remember: A negative conditioning involves the removal of a negative

condition in order to strengthen a behaviour. Punishment on the other hand involves either presenting or taking away a stimulus in

order to weaken a behaviour.

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November 20, 2012

Paeg hypothesised that infants are born with schemes operating at birth that he called "Reflexes". In other animals these reflexes control behaviour through out life. However in human beings as the infant uses these reflexes to adopt to the environment, these reflexes are quickly replaced with constructed schemes.

Piag described two processes used by the individual in its attempt to adopt; assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation is the process of using or transforming the environment so that it can be placed in pre-existing cognitive structures. Accommodation is the process of changing cognitive structures in order to accept something from the environment. Both processes are used simultaneously and alternately through out life.

As schemes become increasingly more complex, they are organised in a hierarchical manner (i.e. from general to specific) Stages of cognitive development: Piag identified four stages:

1. Sensorimotor stage (infancy). In this period intelligence is demonstrated through motor activity without the use of symbols.

Knowledge of the world is limited but developing because it is based on physical interactions and experiences. Children acquire object permanence at about seven months of age (memory). Physical development (mobility) allows the child to begin developing new intellectual abilities. Some symbolic language abilities are developed at the end of the stage.

2. Pre-operational stage; early childhood. In this period intelligence is demonstrated through the use of symbols, language use matures and

memory and imagination are developed, but thinking is done in a non-logical manner. Egocentric thinking predominates.

3. Concrete operational stage (elementary and early adolescence).

In this stage intelligence is demonstrated through logical and systematic manipulation of symbols related to concrete objects. Operational thinking develops (egocentric thought diminishes).

4. Formal operational stage (adolescence and adulthood). In this stage intelligence is demonstrated through the logical use of symbols related to abstract

concepts. Only thirty five percent of high school graduates in industrialised countries obtain formal operations; many people do not think formally during adulthood.

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