Cybersavvy
Behaviorism
What is it?
Behaviorism: the idea that stimuli in an environment can compel animals and humans to respond in predictable ways.
Classical Conditioning: the idea that a neutral stimulant can elicit a set response from a human or animal if it is originally paired with a stimulus that naturally causes a physiological response
Operant Conditioning: the idea that a positive or negative reinforcement can influence how a person/animal responds to a stimulus.
Who Contributed to the Theory?
Ivan Pavlov (Late 19th/Early 20th Centuries) demonstrated and defined classical conditioning through his studies
John B. Watson (1920s to 30s) demonstrated classical conditioning in human beings and advoated for behavioral psychology
Clark Hull (1940 to 1960s) Refined the design of research and linked stimulus-response theory to learning by developing a mathematial theory.(Saettler, 287, 1990)
B.F. Skinner (1950s to 1970s): Developed radical behaviorism, an approach to studying learning and change by ignoring inner mental processes and focusing on the study of observable stimuli’s affect on a subject’s responses. Critics note that key internal processes are ignoed as if they were in a "black box."
How Can It Be Applied?
In an online game, students are presented with 5 possible digital sources on one topic, and they need to select the sources that have reliable information.
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Positive Reinforcement: If students submit the correct list of sources, they can move on to start their actual research projects and earn a badge that proves they have successfully evaluated sources.
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Negative Reinforcement: If students submit the correct set of sources, they will need to review the correct answer and try again.