The hold of behaviorism is emotional and cultural, and it has become such an invisible part of our educational system that we assume it is natural, rather than question its validity. Again, one returns to the idea of gold stars in the classroom -- it seems like they were always 'there' and no one ever introduced them as a 'learning theory.'
So why do we cling to our behaviorist beliefs? Several explanations are offered. Almost everyone alive today was educated and inculcated in behaviorism and a rewards system their entire life. Behaviorism is also superficially similar to the American system of meritocracy, where every person gets his or her just desserts and rewards also seem like a natural part of the capitalist system of exchange, of monetary transaction. The concept that 'I get this if I do this,' even the religious belief in heaven and hell, is a kind of simplistic rewards system. Also, Kohn believes that teachers and managers may like the behaviorist approach because they relish this method of control.
Kohn's book is thought-provoking, but one cannot help think that it seems unrealistic to some degree. While an overuse of punishment...
Kohn would stress that these must be learning opportunities, that rather than provide a monetary bonus to the fastest shelf-stocker, it might be better to encourage the individual to learn more about the business, and how the inventory was congruent with customer demand. Ideally, one would like Kohn's work to be true, because it is a more optimistic assessment of human nature than Skinner's -- and the science he presents in his book seems to support his thesis. But following every principle of his advice would require a huge disruption in the way we currently govern our working and educational lives, especially in teaching elementary school children and entry-level workers.
Works Cited
Cohn, Alfie. Punished by Rewards the Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, a's,
Praise and Other Bribes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993 / 1999.
