Behavioral theories and applications

Behaviorism

Compare and contrast 2 different behavioral theories/models of your choice.

Behaviorism vs. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)

The father of behaviorism is widely acknowledged to be B.F. Skinner. Skinner attempted to develop an 'experimental' approach to human psychology, and based many of his foundational theories upon experiments with rats rather than humans. Skinner believed that operant conditioning was the best way to motivate individuals to adopt new behaviors, or to extinguish existing behavior patterns. "When a particular Stimulus-Response (S-R) pattern is reinforced (rewarded), the individual is conditioned to respond" (Operant conditioning, 2012, Instructional Design). The focus of Skinner was upon externalities, rather than upon internal motivations of behavior.

For example, when dealing with someone who was a compulsive over-eater, rather than focusing on the psychological reasons the person felt compelled to overeat, Skinner instead would focus upon creating an environment that would reward healthy choices (such as buying a new item of clothing for every certain number of pounds lost) and punish negative ones (such as having to exercise an extra hour for every excess hundred calories consumed). These techniques conspire to 'shape' behavior through external reinforcement.

Behavioral approaches to learning, as inspired by Skinner, have these components: "breaking down the skills and information to be learned into small units," so that positive behaviors can be rewarded; "checking student's [or client's] work regularly and providing feedback as well as encouragement" in both positive and negative ways; focusing directly on the behavior in isolated units; and providing direct advice and instruction with a strong emphasis on drilling and accountability (Chin 2012).

Another form of behaviorism that has grown in popularity today is that of cognitive behavioral theory (CBT). Like Skinner's theory, there is a strong focus on external behaviors. However, with cognitive behavioral therapy, there is also a focus upon identifying unproductive thinking habits. Skinner's theory ultimately stresses the lack of awareness we have about our behaviors, and the fact that forces beyond our conscious control can affect how we respond to the environment. CBT encourages patients to take an empowering view of their consciousness, and stresses that change is possible. "Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations, and events. The benefit of this fact is that we can change the way we think to feel / act better even if the situation does not change" (What is cognitive behavioral therapy, 2007, NACBT).