John Watson and Behaviorism: Theory & Experiment
Like all behaviorists, Watson believed that only observable behavior and not the mind can be objectively analyzed and modified. He believed that the child’s environment shapes their behavior, that children learn their behavior from interaction with their environment. His radical thinking was that a child can be conditioned to be any specialist, meaning doctors, lawyers, thieves and even beggars. Although there were some ethical concerns and some skepticism about “Albert’s” cognitive and developmental abilities, Watson’s stimuli-response theory is still applied in education through teachers using positive and negative reinforcers.
Positive reinforcers
Rewards, privileges, points or tokens are awarded for good behavior, motivating those awarded to continue with good behavior and the others to copy such behavior so that they can be rewarded too.
Focusing and praising that one child or a few children who are showing desired behavior, without confronting the others might help to encourage the well behaved and cause the others to copy.
Negative reinforcers
Taken away/withheld rewards, privileges, points or tokens for unacceptable behavior, discouraging both the perpetrators and the observers from repeating the behavior.
-
Maslow: Hierarchy of needsMaslow highlighted that people have different levels of need and that the basic needs need to be met first before anyone can reach the highest, self-actualization. The levels are outlined below:
-
-
Physiological – food, water, sleep and warmth
-
-
-