Behaviorism and Cognitive Theory
Behaviorism and Cognitive Theory
Behaviorism (stimulus-response)
- People learn through conditioning; correct responses are reinforced.
- Reinforcement strengthens the bond between stimulus and response.
- Best for lower levels of learning: recall and comprehension.
Cognitive (Gestalt) theory
- Takes account of learners’ attitudes, prior experiences, values, and interests.
- Proceeds from whole to parts; learning forms new perceptions and insights.
- Best for higher-order thinking: application, analysis, and beyond.
Two theories of learning operate inside Tyler’s model, and a teacher draws on both. They explain learning in very different ways, and each suits a different level of learning. Knowing which is which helps a teacher pick the right approach for the objective at hand.
Behaviorism: stimulus, response, reinforcement
The behaviorist, or stimulus-response, theory holds that people learn through a process of conditioning: correct responses are reinforced, and the reinforcement strengthens the bond between the stimulus and the response. Repeat and reward, and the behaviour sticks.
In the classroom, behaviorism is widely followed, but it is confined to the lower levels of the cognitive domain of Bloom’s taxonomy: recall and comprehension. It is strong at building reliable, basic responses and weaker at higher thinking. Its classroom applications are familiar:
- Assertive discipline: rewarding appropriate behaviour with treats.
- Behavior modification: reinforcing appropriate behaviour with praise.
- Questioning technique: recall questions answered with a high rate of success.
- Computer-assisted instruction: computers that pose questions, verify responses, and reinforce.
- Motivational strategies: rewarding the completion of tasks.
- Contingency contracts: written statements specifying the rewards for desired behaviour.
Learning by conditioning, with reinforcement strengthening the stimulus-response bond
It is best at the lower levels of the cognitive domain, recall and comprehension. Its classroom tools include behavior modification, recall questioning, and contingency contracts.
Cognitive theory: insight and the whole
The cognitive, or Gestalt, theory explains learning very differently. It focuses on how learners learn, taking into account each learner’s attitudes, prior experiences, values, and interests. It proceeds from the whole to the parts, seeing the big picture first. On this view, learning consists of the formation of new perceptions when a learner is confronted with a problem situation, and it is a process of developing new insights, influenced by everything the learner brings to the situation.
Its classroom applications aim at higher thinking:
- Problem-solving situations are emphasised.
- Mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn.
- Integrated thematic planning is encouraged.
- Self-concept activities are used.
- Teacher questions focus on higher-order cognitive skills: application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
- Conceptual models and mind maps help learners build mental constructs of concepts.
| Behaviorism (S-R) | Cognitive (Gestalt) | |
|---|---|---|
| How learning happens | Conditioning and reinforcement | Forming new insights |
| Direction | Builds from parts | Whole to parts |
| Best for | Recall, comprehension | Higher-order thinking |
Learning forms new insights, drawing on what the learner already brings
It accounts for attitudes, prior experience, values, and interests, and proceeds from whole to parts. It suits higher-order thinking: application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
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