UnlikelyGenius

Behaviourism is a theory which states that we are essentially born as a blank slate and learn everything we know from stimulus in our environment. Our behaviours are observable and measurable and are not based on cognitive processes or internal processes. Behaviourists believe that both humans and animals learn via the same processes which provide either positive reinforcement to promote a behaviour reoccurring, or negative reinforcement to extinguish a behaviour. We can train a behaviour to appear through repeatedly producing an associated stimulus.  

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Scenario

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The scenario I have chosen to analyse was an example that I provided from my time in employment. This was a situation in which I have taught myself computer skills in software that was new to me - Articulate Storyline. I believe that these practical skills are an example of behaviourism. This was a self-directed programme of learning and it is a practical, observable skill being learnt. In learning the skills I was trying to eliminate the wrong or impractical way producing a module and setting up a page, therefore identifying and using 'best practice' to make sure pages work and are error free in their functioning.

 

Here is how I related the task to the key features of behaviourism:

Stimulus - the need to set up a module up where each page has a specific function and must all work together. Therefore knowledge is needed of triggers, timings, layout and styling, and other Storyline functions in order to fulfil the need or a request from a customer. Being one of the more technical members of a team I am also often required to problem solve for my colleague's in the build they are completing or to train them in how to build for a specific need.

Response - The response is knowing the practical skills to respond to the need or question that has arisen.  This involves analysing to understand the requirements and action the triggers, setting or other functions as appropriate.  If I don't know how to do it, there is an element of trial and error or selecting the  most appropriate source for learning how to find it - for example, a colleague, book, tutorial. When there is a similar need arising in future, with practice, the behaviour should become an automatic response.

Positive reinforcement - the files work, positive feedback, no/few amends from quality and standards, feeling of accomplishment, project processes quickly.

Negative reinforcement - lots of amends that could have been avoided, file doesn't work correctly or fulfil the need, negative feedback, time implications from trial and error or having to complete a fix later in the process.

 

Here we can see what Skinner referred to as operant conditioning. 'In operant conditioning, the organism behaves in order to elicit a reward (reinforcement) or stops behaving to avoid a punishment' (Gsi.berkeley.edu, 2018). Therefore, in maximise the opportunity for the positive reinforcement and to eliminate the unwanted behaviours and negative reinforcement, it is encourages me to learn best practice and new skills in setting files up. This has the added benefit of saving me time, energy and speeding up the process too.

 

The nature of the majority of the skills being learnt here is based on 'right or wrong'. If I do not do something correctly, for example set up a variable correctly, the page will not work. This by nature is a behaviourist approach. By repeatedly getting the behaviour correct, the behaviour is learnt, becomes automatic and the negative behaviours are recognised as being incorrect.

 

However, this comes into some issues when occasionally there may be another work around to the same problem. This alternative may not be logical or straight forwards, but can sometimes still work. Also, sometimes even though a page is set up correctly it will still not work due to bugs in software or browsers. This is higher order level thinking that Behaviourism does not account for. We often see both of these occur in our office. As we are all self-taught, we often have learnt vastly different ways of approaching the same problem and only learn better ways of doing things through collaboration and sharing knowledge, which becomes much more of a Constructivist or social learning approach at this point.

 

Gsi.berkeley.edu. (2018). Behaviorism | GSI Teaching & Resource Center. [online] Available at: http://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/learning-theory-research/behaviorism/#teaching [Accessed 14 Jun. 2018].