Thesis Of The Behaviourist Theory

Theory 1- Behaviourism

The basis of the behaviourist theory is that learning is a passive process in where learning is defined as "what people do in response to external stimuli" (Elliot, 2007, pg 46). Learning is therefore the procurement of new behaviours. According to Skinner, knowledge is not used to guide human actions, it is the action itself (Skinner 1976. p152). Behaviourism suggests that in order to learn, the learner needs an active engagement and needs to be reinforced with instant rewards (Sotto, 2007: 35). The more satisfying the reward to the learner, the more the behaviour of the learner is strengthened, leading to more comprehensive learning (Skinner 1974 cited in Elliott 2007 pg 48). The idea is that if a child is rewarded for their desirable behaviour, they will be more likely repeat that behaviour. Skinner suggested that educators should primarily focus on positive reinforcements and the success of the learner rather than punishing poor behaviour as this weakens the behaviour portrayed by the learner (Pritchard, p11). This suggests that a schools rewards/ behaviour system is extremely important to a students development, as the way the school looks at rewards and punishments can affect the behaviour and learning of the students.

Behaviourist learning breaks down tasks into small, progressive sequences where continuous positive reinforcement is given. The theory suggests that without positive reinforcement, the learned responses will be forgotten. The