This document provides an overview of behavioral theories of learning, including the key concepts and theorists of behaviorism and social learning theory. It summarizes classical conditioning by Ivan Pavlov, the law of effect by E.L. Thorndike, operant conditioning by B.F. Skinner, and social learning theory developed by Albert Bandura. The document defines important behaviorist terms like reinforcement, punishment, shaping, and schedules of reinforcement. It outlines the basic assumptions of behaviorism and social learning theory and provides examples of how they apply to classroom learning.

1. Behavioral Theories of
Learning
Dr. Jennifer Irwin
EDU 620: Module 5
Chapter 5

2. What would it take?
You are currently enrolled in my
educational psychology class. As
your instructor, I ask you to spend
one hour this week tutoring two
classmates who are having difficulty
understanding the course material.
You have no other commitments for
that hour, but you’d rather spend the
time at the coffee shop with your
friends.

3. What would it take?
What would it take for you to spend the hour
tutoring your classmates instead of joining
your friends?
q Would you do it to gain my approval?
q Would you do it simply because it made
you feel good to help someone else?
q Would you do it for a free cup of coffee?
q Would you do it if I gave you twenty
dollars?

4. What would it take?
Now, a few weeks later, I ask you to
spend the weekend (8 hours a day
Sat. and Sun.) tutoring the same two
struggling students. What would it
take this time?
q Would my approval do the trick? Cup
of coffee? Twenty dollars? Five
hundred dollars? Or would your
internal sense of satisfaction be
enough?

5. Pleasure v. Pain
q It has been said that everything
we do in life is to either “gain
pleasure” or “avoid pain”.
q Look at the following list and
categorize the events as one or
the other or both:

6. Pleasure v. Pain
• coming to class
• going to work
• going to the movies with a friend
• attending a seminar on financial aid
• working on a hobby
• eating
• sleeping
• others?

7. Keep these questions in mind as
we dive into the topic of . . .
. . . Behaviorism (the first learning
theory of many that we will
discuss)

8. The Sea of Theories...
q Behavioral - observable
behaviors
q Cognitive - mental processes
q Constructivist - cognitive
construction of knowledge

9. Behavior and Learning
q Students are
always learning
q Our challenge is
to get them to
learn specific
information
q But, what
exactly is
learning?

10. What is Learning?
q Simply put . . . Learning = CHANGE
q It is a change in the individual caused by some
experience
q Think of things you have learned.
q These can be intentional (like taking a class)
or accidental (like a fear of dogs)

11. Basic Assumptions of
Behaviorism
q Learning is described in terms of
relationships among observable events
(stimuli and responses).
q Learning is most likely to take place
when stimuli and responses occur close
together in time.
(See cartoon on next slide)

13. Basic Assumptions of
Behaviorism (cont.)
q People’s behaviors are largely the results
of experiences in their environment.
q Learning involves a behavior change.
q Many species of animals (including
humans) learn in similar ways.

14. Gurus of Behaviorism
Ivan Pavlov E. L. Thorndike B. F. Skinner

15. Ivan Pavlov
q Think dogs, bells, food, and saliva
q Classical Conditioning

16. Conditioning happens...
when you take two
objects or actions that
have nothing to do
with each other and
you make behaviors
happen (like in the next cartoon)

18. Next guru:
E. L. Thorndike
q Takes Pavlov’s ideas one step further
q “The Law of Effect”
q If an act is followed by a satisfying
change in the environment, then the
likelihood that the act will be repeated
in similar situations increases.
q The reverse is true, too. Unsatisfying
change leads to decrease of behavior.

19. An Example...
If going to school is a attendance increases
good experience . . .
the opposite is also true 

20. Pause, practice & apply
Write down a personal
example for
Classical Conditioning and
the Law of Effect

21. The man, the legend:
B. F. Skinner
q Operant
Conditioning
q Ideas based on
the use of
pleasant &
unpleasant
consequences to
control behavior
q Think mice

22. The Skinner Box
Or, from the mouse’s
perspective . . .

24. Operant Conditioning…
The consequences of
one’s present behavior
plays a major role in
determining one’s
future behavior

25. If you haven’t done so already,
print out the study guide for
chapter 5.
You can use the rest of the
PowerPoint as well as the text
to complete it.

26. Consequences
REINFORCERS PUNISHERS
STRENGTHEN WEAKEN

27. Reinforcers
q Reinforcer – Any consequence that
strengthens behavior
q Primary – satisfy basic needs
q Secondary – value determined by society
q Positive – pleasurable consequence
• Premack Principle
q Negative – release from unpleasant
activity/situation

28. Punishers
q Punisher – unpleasant consequence that
weakens behavior
q Presentation Punishment –
presentation of unpleasant consequence to
weaken behavior.
q Removal Punishment – Removal of
desired consequence to weaken behavior.
• Time out – Removing student from a
situation in which misbehavior is being
reinforced or strengthened

29. Most “true” behaviorists….
Use reinforcement
over punishment
Why?

30. Other terms to know…
q Shaping
q Extinction PLEASE CHECK
q Extinction burst OUR TEXTBOOK
q Cueing FOR DEFINITIONS
q Discrimination AND EXAMPLES
q Generalization

31. Schedules of reinforcement
q Fixed ratio
schedule
q Variable ratio
schedule
q Fixed interval
q Variable interval

32. Social Learning Theory
q Grew out of behaviorism
q Accepts most principles of
behaviorism, but focuses on
cueing and internal mental
processes (i.e. giving people
credit for thinking and not being
influenced solely by their
environment)

33. Social Learning Theory
q Developed by Albert
Bandura
q Also known for the
concept of self-
efficacy (in chapter
10)
By the way, for my dissertation I researched self-efficacy. I wrote to Bandura
(who is at Stanford now) . . . and he wrote back! What a nice guy!

34. Basic Assumptions of
Social Learning Theory
q People can learn by
observing others.
q Example: watching the
correct way to swing a
tennis racket

35. Basic Assumptions of
Social Learning Theory
q Learning is an internal process that
may or may not result in a behavior
change
q Example: you won’t demonstrate that
you’ve learned how to apologize
tactfully until a later time when an
apology is necessary

36. Basic Assumptions of
Social Learning Theory
q Behavior is directed
toward particular goals.
q Example: students are
taking your class to
meet a graduation
requirement

37. Basic Assumptions of
Social Learning Theory
q Behavior eventually becomes self-
regulated.
q Example: a student who observes,
practices, and self-corrects when
learning how to play an instrument (as
opposed to the behaviorist view that we
only do things because we are shaped
by external influences)

38. Basic Assumptions of
Social Learning Theory
q Reinforcement and punishment
have indirect rather than direct
effects on learning.
q Example: I can learn what NOT to
do by watching a classmate be
reprimanded by the teacher

39. Pause, practice, & apply
Which theory do you think makes
the most sense in a classroom
situation?
• Behaviorism
OR
• Social Learning Theory

40. Any questions?
For clarification or additional information,
please review chapter 5,
ask a classmate
or contact the instructor