Behaviorism In Human Resource Development

Behaviorism
Behaviorism is a well-known psychological approach encompassing several different theories. It is also one of the earliest approaches developed to understand learning and related activities (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007). According to Doolittle and Camp, behaviorism as a theoretical approach has served as a basic model in teaching and learning for career and technical education (as cited in Gordon, 2014). Despite its development in the early decades of the 20th century, it has maintained its value and contribution in “performance objectives, criterion-referenced measures, task lists as a source of curriculum, and specific, predetermined skills demonstrated by industry standards” (Gordon, 2014, p. 391). Behaviorism was

(2007) explain that behaviorism has influenced and benefited several practices in child and adult education. For example, in the realm of human resource development (HRD), performance improvement, competency-based instruction, and accountability are all parts of behavioral orientation. As a field, HRD is associated with training to enhance on-the-job performance in the workplace. It is acknowledged by Merriam et al. (2007) that the behavioral concepts of learning have had a deep influence on educational systems and training programs. As Sleezer, Conti, and Nolan point out, HRD professionals rely on behaviorism’s emphasis on the rewards and stimuli that learners receive from the environment, the systematic observation of behavior, and relating newly acquired information to previous learning and experience (as cited in Merriam et al., 2007). More specifically, the value of behavioral philosophy and guidance may be traced to applications of workplace training and education programs used by designers to create behavior-based objectives that are demonstrated by students as evidence of learning and changes in behavior (Greeno, Collins, & Resnick, 1996).
Viewing learning as the product of responding to stimuli in the environment is central to behaviorist approach. This concept can be applied in different aspects relevant to workforce education like instructional designing. Form the behaviorist view; it is necessary to arrange suitable stimuli that will provide the desired response (Gray & Herr, 1998). Cooper (as cited in Gray and Herr, 1998) highlight that behaviorism has important assumptions for workforce educators. Two important assumptions according to him