Theories the Behavioral Theory Integrates

Theories

The behavioral theory integrates behavior and reinforcement in order to achieve a change of that behavior in the classroom. Students consistently have their good behavior reinforced while suffering the results of their bad behavior. Behavioral work is distinguished by its focus on specific behaviors and its emphasis on the immediate environment in which the student is interacting. Often times instead of a deductive learning basis, behavioral theory uses the inductive.

To integrate the behavioral theory in the classroom the student and the teacher must first interact with one another by defining goals and objectives in the form of modifying behavior. Both teacher and student have certain responsibilities that are agreed upon in advance. The student willingly acknowledges and accepts that he/she is responsible for modifying their behavior in the classroom, and the instructor accepts the responsibility of following through on that modification.

By learning, through behavior modification, what type of behavior is acceptable and what type of behavior is not acceptable the student is more likely to develop the characteristics necessary in the classroom in order to assimilate the things being taught.

In other words, learning involves a behavior change and in order to achieve that change behavior has to be modified, with the teacher being the instigator of such modification and the student receiving the modification through reinforcement.

The behavior theory states that learning is largely the result of environmental events and that the most effective learning can be accomplished best when the focus is on stimuli and responses. The behavior theory also disregards the internal cognitive process as irrelevant.

The cognitive theory, on the other hand, focuses on the cognitive process and states that some learning processes may be unique to mankind. The cognitive theory is almost the exact opposite as the behavior theory in that the psychologists that tout the theory say that learning is not necessarily reflected in any over behavior changes, and that rather than learning by behavior modification, they state that "learning is a process of relating new information to previously learned information." (Cognitive).

Edward Tolman, a reknowned psychologist adapted versions of behaviorist research, and felt that his research showed that learning can occur not only without a change in behavior but without reinforcement as well.

He also believed that learning was the process of disseminating new information and that memory was the process of recalling information that had already been learned.

In order to apply the cognitive theory in the classroom, the teacher would probably wish to have the students relate the new information to something that was familiar to them (old information).

Methods used in this application would include exciting the students by first, informing them of the new information and what it would consist of, second, presenting to the students some sort of stimuli that would elicit a performance from each individual.

The teacher and other students could then provide feedback about the specific performance, and would therefore reinforce the learning process, ie; move the information from the short-term memory to the long-term memory.

The humanistic theory takes a different approach than both the cognitive and the behavioral theories. The humanistic perspective is on the self, it is you, your perception of your experiences.

Believing in the humanistic theory means that your behavior is freely chosen by you, rather than reacting to any environmental stimuli (behavior theory) or reinforcers. The major focus of the humanistic theory is dealing with issues of self-esteem and self-fulfillment and to facilitate the individual's personal development.

Abraham Maslow, an avowed humanistic theorist, feels that individuals have certain needs that can be met in a hierarchical fashion, starting with the lowest and moving to the highest.

He states that everyone has basic needs that must be met along with safety, love, belonging and achievement. He says that ultimately we all as individuals need to have the need of self-actualization met most of all.