{"id":8844,"date":"2026-04-09T10:49:52","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T02:49:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/?p=8844"},"modified":"2026-04-16T13:28:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T05:28:20","slug":"behavioral-views-of-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/behavioral-views-of-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Behaviorist Views of Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introduction to Learning (Behaviorism or Behaviorist view)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Definition:<\/strong> Learning as a relatively permanent change in observable behavior as a result of experience.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The &#8220;Black Box&#8221; Metaphor:<\/strong> Behaviorists argued that because we cannot objectively observe a thought or a feeling, we should treat the mind as a &#8220;black box.&#8221; A <strong>black box<\/strong> is a system where you can see the <strong>input<\/strong> (what goes in) and the <strong>output<\/strong> (what comes out), but the internal workings are invisible or irrelevant to the observer. We don&#8217;t need to know what&#8217;s happening inside to understand, predict, or change behavior. This is why behaviorists prioritize measurable actions over internal mental processes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Key Assumptions:<\/strong> \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Learning processes are similar across species and the role of the environment. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Science requires data that multiple people can observe and verify. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>For example:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If I say I am &#8220;motivated,&#8221; you have <em>no way<\/em> to measure that directly. However, if I finish 10 math problems in 5 minutes, we have a <strong>measurable, objective fact<\/strong>. Behaviorists believed that by focusing only on what could be seen, they were making psychology a &#8220;hard science&#8221; like physics or chemistry.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A teacher who believes in behaviorist perspective will explain that students study  because, in the past, studying was followed by a high grade (Positive Reinforcement).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Behavioral theories: Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I. Classical Conditioning (Stimulus-Response Learning)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Focuses on involuntary, emotional, or physiological responses.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Two key figures in Classical Conditioning:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1) <strong>Ivan Pavlov<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Pavlovian Foundation:<\/strong> Ivan Pavlov\u2019s accidental discovery with dogs (he mechanics of classical conditioning with dogs)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-9.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"559\" src=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-9.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8845\" srcset=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-9.png 1024w, https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-9-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-9-768x419.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>2) <strong>John B Watson <\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Father of Behaviorism:<\/strong> The man who brought classical conditioning <em>into the human world<\/em>. He is often called the &#8220;Father of Behaviorism&#8221; because he applied the mechanics of classical conditioning with children.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watson wanted to prove that &#8220;nurture&#8221; (the environment) was more powerful than &#8220;nature&#8221; (instinct). He set out to condition a phobia into an 11-month-old infant known as Albert.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Before Conditioning:<\/strong> Albert showed no fear of a white rat (Neutral Stimulus). He only showed a natural fear of loud noises (Unconditioned Stimulus).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Conditioning:<\/strong> Every time Albert reached for the white rat, Watson would strike a steel bar with a hammer behind the boy&#8217;s head.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Result:<\/strong> After only seven pairings, Albert would burst into tears and crawl away at the mere sight of the rat, even without the loud noise.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Key Components of classical conditioning:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) &amp; Response (UCR):<\/strong> Natural, unlearned triggers (e.g., food leading to drool OR loud noise leading to fear).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Neutral Stimulus (NS):<\/strong> A trigger that initially means nothing (e.g., a bell OR a white rat).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Conditioned Stimulus (CS) &amp; Response (CR):<\/strong> The learned association (e.g., bell leading to drool OR a white rat leading to fear).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Core Concepts:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><mark style=\"background-color:#f4ca16\" class=\"has-inline-color has-dark-gray-color\">Acquisition or Shaping:<\/mark><\/strong><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-yellow-color\"> <\/mark>The &#8220;pairing&#8221; phase.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><mark style=\"background-color:#f4ca16\" class=\"has-inline-color has-dark-gray-color\">Extinction:<\/mark><\/strong> What happens when the CS is presented without the UCS. \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is the process by which a l<em>earned response is weakened<\/em> and eventually<em> disappears. <\/em>It occurs when the &#8220;rules&#8221; of the environment change, and the expected outcome no longer follows the trigger.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><mark style=\"background-color:#f4ca16\" class=\"has-inline-color has-dark-gray-color\">Generalization<\/mark> (This is John B Watson&#8217;s contribution):<\/strong> It is a phenomenon in learning where a subject responds to a <strong><em>new stimulus<\/em><\/strong> in the same way they respond to a <strong><em>known conditioned stimulus<\/em><\/strong>, simply because the two are similar.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Example:<\/strong> Watson found that Albert didn&#8217;t just fear the white rat; he became terrified of <em>anything<\/em> white and furry such as a rabbit, a dog, a sealskin coat, a teddy bear and even a Santa Claus mask with a white beard.  <strong><em>Fears are learned<\/em><\/strong>, not necessarily innate. Once a fear is learned, it can &#8220;bleed over&#8221; into similar objects or situations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><mark style=\"background-color:#f4ca16\" class=\"has-inline-color has-dark-gray-color\">Discrimination:<\/mark> <\/strong>It occurs when a specific stimulus is consistently followed by an Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS), while a similar stimulus is consistently <strong>not<\/strong> followed by it.  \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Example: Imagine a dog is conditioned to salivate to a specific bell tone (1000 Hz) (<strong>The Stimulus<\/strong>). You ring a slightly different bell by lowering the tone (900 Hz) (<strong>The Variation)<\/strong>.  If the 1000 Hz bell is always followed by food, the dog salivates. If the 900 Hz bell is never followed by food, the dog eventually learns to ignore it (<strong>The Learning Process<\/strong>).  The dog has &#8220;discriminated&#8221; between the two tones.  1000Hz = food, 900Hz = no food (<strong>The Result)<\/strong> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><mark style=\"background-color:#f4ca16\" class=\"has-inline-color has-dark-gray-color\">Spontaneous recovery<\/mark><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-yellow-color\">: <\/mark><\/strong>It is a phenomenon where a previously extinguished response suddenly reappears after a period of rest.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It proves that <strong>extinction<\/strong> is not &#8220;unlearning&#8221; or erasing a memory; rather, it is the brain learning to <em>suppress<\/em> a behavior. The original association is still tucked away in the &#8220;black box,&#8221; waiting for a chance to resurface.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">II. Operant Conditioning (Response-Stimulus Learning)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Focuses on voluntary behaviors shaped by consequences.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Thorndike\u2019s Law of Effect:<\/strong> Behaviors followed by pleasant outcomes are strengthened.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>B.F. Skinner\u2019s Contributions:<\/strong> The Skinner Box and the shift from &#8220;respondent&#8221; to &#8220;operant&#8221; behavior.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Premack&#8217;s Principle<\/strong> (by <strong>David Premack<\/strong>): Premack\u2019s core idea was that <strong>high-probability behaviors<\/strong> (things we <em>want<\/em> to do) can be used to reinforce <strong>low-probability behaviors<\/strong> (things we <em>don&#8217;t<\/em> want to do).  Example: <em>You have to eat your vegetables before you can have dessert<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Mechanics of Consequences:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reinforcement (Increasing Behavior):<\/strong> \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Positive reinforcement:<\/em> Adding a reward to increase desirable behavior (e.g. a token for submitting homework)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Negative <em>reinforcement<\/em>:<\/em> Removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase desirable behavior (e.g., the seatbelt chime stopping (unpleasant stimulus) when we wear seatbelt (desirable behavior).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Punishment (Decreasing Behavior):<\/strong> \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Positive punishment or also known as Type I punishment<\/em>: Add a negative stimulus to decrease undesirable behavior (e.g. give a fine (denda) for late registration).  Fine is negative or unpleasant stimulus and late registration is undesirable behavior that we want to decrease.  \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Negative or also known as Type II punishment)<\/em>: Removal of pleasant stimulus (e.g. taking away a privilege of using family car when coming back after curfew hours).  Privilege of using family car is pleasant stimulus, and coming back late (after curfew)  is undesirable behaviour.  <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Schedules of Reinforcement:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Continuous vs. Intermittent (Fixed Ratio, Variable Ratio, Fixed Interval, Variable Interval).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-11.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"559\" src=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-11.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8847\" srcset=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-11.png 1024w, https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-11-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-11-768x419.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Examples of intermittent reinforcement in real life:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fixed ratio: <\/strong>Retail Loyalty Programs (e.g. Buy 10 coffees, get the 11th free)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Variable ratio:<\/strong> Gambling or playing a claw-machine (we do not know when we will hit the jackpot or win something)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fixed interval: <\/strong>The Monthly Paycheck (we will know when we will get our pay) <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Variable interval:<\/strong> Fishing (we do not know when any fish will take the bite. Fish don&#8217;t bite on a fixed timer.) or listening to our favorite radio station waiting for favorite songs to play (we do not know when the songs will be played but normally even though the DJs may already inform when they will play the songs, yet, we will keep waiting because the time is not fixed).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-13.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"559\" src=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-13.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-13.png 1024w, https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-13-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-13-768x419.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-10.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"559\" src=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-10.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8846\" srcset=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-10.png 1024w, https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-10-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/743\/2026\/04\/image-10-768x419.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Educational Application:<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We can understand how &#8220;math anxiety&#8221; or school phobia is often classically conditioned.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Learning can occur with different effects either discrimination or generalization.  While discrimination is about being &#8220;picky,&#8221; generalization is about being &#8220;broad.&#8221;  <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Context Matters:<\/strong> A behavior might be extinguished in one setting (at school) but still occur in another (at home)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As a teacher, if you notice that a student loves drawing but dislikes math, you can apply operant conditioning (taking Premack&#8217;s principle into consideration) such as by giving instruction &#8220;Once you finish these five math problems, you can spend ten minutes working on your drawing.&#8221; (<strong>The Application<\/strong>).  In this regard, drawing (the high-probability behavior) reinforces math (the low-probability behavior) (<strong>The Result<\/strong>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction to Learning (Behaviorism or Behaviorist view) Behavioral theories: Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning I. Classical Conditioning (Stimulus-Response Learning) Focuses on involuntary, emotional, or physiological responses. II. Operant Conditioning (Response-Stimulus Learning) Focuses on voluntary behaviors shaped by consequences. Examples of intermittent reinforcement in real life: Fixed ratio: Retail Loyalty Programs (e.g. Buy 10 coffees, get &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/behavioral-views-of-learning\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Behaviorist Views of Learning<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":851,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-educational-psychology","category-teaching","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/851"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8844"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8890,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8844\/revisions\/8890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/hadijahjaffri\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}