wk 4 - Learning Theories: Behaviourism

 

Behaviorism

• Premise that humans have change in knowledge through controlled stimulus / response conditioning.
• Learning process consists of building initial schema by adopting knowledge from an instructor through use of the learner’s senses. This learning goal is the lowest order learning: factual knowledge, skill development, and training
• Learning process is conditioned response or rote memorization of facts, assertions, rules, laws, terminology. Correct response is achieved through stimulation of senses.
• Learner dependent upon instructor for acquisition of knowledge. Instructor must
• demonstrate factual knowledge,
• observe, measure and modify behavioral changes in specified direction
• Focus of intelligence development is visual / spatial, musical / rhythmic, and bodily / kinesthetic
• source: theorizing thoughts, intentions or other subjective experiences was unscientific and insisted that psychology must focus on measurable behaviors
• Behaviorists: John Watson