Behaviorism

Behaviorism is a learning theory.

• This theory states that learning is a relatively permanent change in observable behavior as a result of experience.
• It also involves strengthening the relationship between specific stimuli and desired responses.

Key Principles

1. Principles of learning should apply equally to different behaviors and different species. This is called equipotentiality, which means that all creatures learn in the same way.
2. The learning process can be studied most objectively when the focus of study is on stimuli and responses. Focusing on what can be observed and measured.
3. Internal processes are largely rejected from behaviorism study because they can not be directly observed and measured.
4. The environment should be manipulated to maximize potential for learning and to minimize the potential for distraction.
5. Organisms are born as blank slates on which environmental experiences and events condition us to respond.

Important Vocabulary 

• Stimulus: an event in the environment used to prompt behavior.

• Response (behavior): an observable reaction that an organism makes to a stimulus.

• Reinforcement: leads to an increase in response.

• Punishment: leads to a decrease in response based on either presenting negative stimuli or removing pleasant stimuli after a response.
• Free operant level (Baseline): initial incidence of a behavior before the learning event.

• Terminal behavior: expected behavioral response as a result of the learning event.

• Superstitious behavior: occurs when reinforcement is randomly administered. This type of reinforcement tends to reinforce whatever response has occurred immediately beforehand, and an organism will increase that response.

• Shaping: process of shaping behaviors closer and closer to the desired terminal behavior. Is also known as successive approximations.

• Chaining: a process of teaching a sequence of behaviors.

• Extinction: Decrease in response due to lack of reinforcement.