educational psychology

1. Behaviourism

2. John B Watson put forward an entirely new
school of thought called Behaviorism. He
conclude that the whole idea of consciousness
is absurd. Consciousness cannot be proved by
any scientific method. We cannot seen,
touched and exhibited in a test tube. If it is
exist it cannot be studies scientifically.

3. If we intend to make psychology a science of
behaviour, we should concentrate on
observable and measurable behaviour. We
should discard not only the concept of
consciousness but also all mentalistic notions
like soul ,mind, mental life, image and
ideas,etc.

4. Behaviourism focused only overt or observable
behaviour.
A behaviourist is not interested in the feeling of
fear but pays attention to the changes in heart
rate and blood pressure which are the effects
of fear and can be objectively measurable.

5. The theory of behaviourism of john Watson is
influnced by the theory of Classical
conditioning by Ivan Pavlov.
In his experiment Pavlov conditioned a dog
salivate at the sound of the bell by subtituting
that sound for the sight and smell of meat and
concluded that all behaviour is a response to
some stimulus in environment.

6. Watson tried to apply this approach in the field
of human behaviour.
He conditioned 11 month old Albert’s behaviour
to fear a rat by substituting the rat with
sudden loud noise and concluded that
behaviours are response to some
environmental stimuli.

7. Behaviour of an individual supposed to be
controlled by environmental forces not by
heredity or innate differences.
Watson asserts boldly:
Give me a dozen healthy infants, well informed and
my own specified world to bring them up in and I
will guarantee to take anyone at random and
train him to become any type of specialist I might
select___ doctor, lawyer, artist and even beggar
and thief regardless of his talent, abilities and
race.

8. So, the doctrine of behaviourism make the
psychology a science of materialistic and
objective like other natural and physical
sciences. It has changed so many times due to
criticism. One of well known method of
behaviourism derived due to criticism called
operant conditioning. Operant conditioning
believe on behaviour modification with the
help of reward and punishment.

9. Merits and contribution in education
• They introduced the scientific method to study the
behaviour.
• It highlight the role of environment to modify and shape
the behaviour
• It introduced the new concepts stimulus, response, habit,
learning and conditioning.
• It extends the scope of educational psychology
• The use of reward and punishment helpful for the
acquisition of desirable behaviour and giving up the
undesirable behaviour.
• It highlight the role of motivation
• Programme learning ad self instructional learning are the
concepts of behaviourism