Educational Psychology
Chapter 7 Behavioral and social cognitive approaches
Learning can be defined as a relatively permanent influence on behavior,
knowledge and thinking skills which comes about through experience. We have
some inherit capacities. There are different approaches to learning:
Behavioral, behaviorism is the view that behavior should be explained by
observable experiences not by mental processes. Mental processes are
defined as thoughts, feelings and motives that each of us experiences but
that cannot be observed by others. For the behaviorist these mental
processes are not appropriate subject matter for a science of behavior
because they cannot be observed. They are not denied but are not needed
to explain behavior. It emphasizes associative learning which consists of
learning that two events are connected or associated.
Cognitive, means thought. There are four approaches, social cognitive,
information processing, cognitive constructivist and social constructivist.
The behavioral approaches emphasize the importance of children making
connections between experiences and behavior.
Classical conditioning, a type of learning in which an organism learns to connect,
associate stimuli. A neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful
stimulus and acquires the capacity to elicit a similar response. An UCS is a
stimulus that automatically produces a response without any prior learning. An
UCR is an unlearned response that is automatically elicited by the UCS. A CS is a
previously neutral stimulus that eventually elicits a conditioned response after
being associated with the UCS. A CR is a learned response to the conditioned
stimulus that occurs after UCS-CS pairing.
Generalization in classical conditioning involves the tendency of a new stimulus
similar to the original conditioned stimulus to produce a similar response.
Discrimination occurs when the organism responds to certain stimuli but not
others. Extinction involves the weakening of the conditioned response in the
absence of the unconditioned stimulus.
Systematic desensitization is a method based on classical conditioning that
reduces anxiety by getting the individual to associate deep relaxation with
successive visualizations of increasingly anxiety producing situations.
, Operant conditioning is a form of learning in which the consequences of behavior
produces changes in the probability that the behavior will occur. Consequences –
rewards and punishments- are contingent on the organism’s behavior.
Reinforcement is a consequence that increases the probability that a behavior
will occur. Punishment is a consequence that decreases the probability a
behavior will occur. Reinforce mean strengthen the behavior. There is a negative
form and a positive form. Positive , the frequency of a response increases
because it is followed by a rewarding stimulus. In negative the frequency of a
response increases because it is followed by the removal of an unpleasant
stimulus.
Generalization in operant conditioning means giving the same response to similar
stimuli. Discrimination involves differentiating among stimuli or environmental
events. Extinction occurs when a previously reinforced response is no longer
reinforced and the response decreases.
Applied behavior analysis involves applying the principles of operant conditioning
to change human behavior. Three are important in education: (1) increasing
desirable behavior, (2) using prompts and shaping (3) decreasing undesirable
behavior.
Increasing desirable behaviors, six strategies of operant conditioning can be
used:
1. Choose effective reinforces, not all reinforces are the same for every child,
you have to individualize the use of particular reinforces. Use natural
reinforces such as praise and privileges. The premack principle states that
high-probability activity can serve as a reinforce for a low probability
activity.
2. Make reinforces Contingent and timely, give it only after the child performs
the particular behavior. Make if… and then to make clear what is expected.
To help see the contingency you have to give the reinforce timely so
directly after completing the if.
3. Select the best schedule of reinforcement, continuous reinforcement works
rapidly but if the reinforcement is gone it changes back the behavior.
Partial reinforcement involves reinforcing a response only part of the time.
Fixed-ratio schedule a behavior is reinforced after a set number of
responses. Variable-ratio schedule a behavior is reinforced after an
average number of times but on an unpredictable basis. Fixed interval
Chapter 7 Behavioral and social cognitive approaches
Learning can be defined as a relatively permanent influence on behavior,
knowledge and thinking skills which comes about through experience. We have
some inherit capacities. There are different approaches to learning:
Behavioral, behaviorism is the view that behavior should be explained by
observable experiences not by mental processes. Mental processes are
defined as thoughts, feelings and motives that each of us experiences but
that cannot be observed by others. For the behaviorist these mental
processes are not appropriate subject matter for a science of behavior
because they cannot be observed. They are not denied but are not needed
to explain behavior. It emphasizes associative learning which consists of
learning that two events are connected or associated.
Cognitive, means thought. There are four approaches, social cognitive,
information processing, cognitive constructivist and social constructivist.
The behavioral approaches emphasize the importance of children making
connections between experiences and behavior.
Classical conditioning, a type of learning in which an organism learns to connect,
associate stimuli. A neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful
stimulus and acquires the capacity to elicit a similar response. An UCS is a
stimulus that automatically produces a response without any prior learning. An
UCR is an unlearned response that is automatically elicited by the UCS. A CS is a
previously neutral stimulus that eventually elicits a conditioned response after
being associated with the UCS. A CR is a learned response to the conditioned
stimulus that occurs after UCS-CS pairing.
Generalization in classical conditioning involves the tendency of a new stimulus
similar to the original conditioned stimulus to produce a similar response.
Discrimination occurs when the organism responds to certain stimuli but not
others. Extinction involves the weakening of the conditioned response in the
absence of the unconditioned stimulus.
Systematic desensitization is a method based on classical conditioning that
reduces anxiety by getting the individual to associate deep relaxation with
successive visualizations of increasingly anxiety producing situations.
, Operant conditioning is a form of learning in which the consequences of behavior
produces changes in the probability that the behavior will occur. Consequences –
rewards and punishments- are contingent on the organism’s behavior.
Reinforcement is a consequence that increases the probability that a behavior
will occur. Punishment is a consequence that decreases the probability a
behavior will occur. Reinforce mean strengthen the behavior. There is a negative
form and a positive form. Positive , the frequency of a response increases
because it is followed by a rewarding stimulus. In negative the frequency of a
response increases because it is followed by the removal of an unpleasant
stimulus.
Generalization in operant conditioning means giving the same response to similar
stimuli. Discrimination involves differentiating among stimuli or environmental
events. Extinction occurs when a previously reinforced response is no longer
reinforced and the response decreases.
Applied behavior analysis involves applying the principles of operant conditioning
to change human behavior. Three are important in education: (1) increasing
desirable behavior, (2) using prompts and shaping (3) decreasing undesirable
behavior.
Increasing desirable behaviors, six strategies of operant conditioning can be
used:
1. Choose effective reinforces, not all reinforces are the same for every child,
you have to individualize the use of particular reinforces. Use natural
reinforces such as praise and privileges. The premack principle states that
high-probability activity can serve as a reinforce for a low probability
activity.
2. Make reinforces Contingent and timely, give it only after the child performs
the particular behavior. Make if… and then to make clear what is expected.
To help see the contingency you have to give the reinforce timely so
directly after completing the if.
3. Select the best schedule of reinforcement, continuous reinforcement works
rapidly but if the reinforcement is gone it changes back the behavior.
Partial reinforcement involves reinforcing a response only part of the time.
Fixed-ratio schedule a behavior is reinforced after a set number of
responses. Variable-ratio schedule a behavior is reinforced after an
average number of times but on an unpredictable basis. Fixed interval
