Behaviorism Vs Cognitivism

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Behaviorism, as a learning theory, can be traced back to Aristotle, whose essay "Memory" focused on associations being made between events such as lightning and thunder. Other philosophers that followed Aristotle's thoughts are Hobbs (1650), Hume (1740), Brown (1820), Bain (1855) and Ebbinghause (1885) (Black, 1995). The theory of behaviorism concentrates on the study of overt behaviors that can be observed and measured (Good & Brophy, 1990). It views the mind as a "black box" in the sense that response to stimulus can be observed quantitatively, totally ignoring the possibility of thought processes occurring in the mind. Some key players in the development of the behaviorist theory were Pavlov, Watson, Thorndike and Skinner. Pavlov (1849 - 1936) For most people, the name "Pavlov" rings a bell (pun intended). The Russian physiologist is best known for his work in classical conditioning or stimulus substitution. Pavlov's most famous experiment involved food, a dog and a bell. Pavlov's Experiment · Before conditioning, ringing the bell caused no response from the dog. Placing food in front of the dog initiated salivation. · During conditioning, the bell was rung a few seconds before the dog was presented with food. · After conditioning, the ringing of the bell alone produced salivation (Dembo, 1994). Stimulus and Response Items of Pavlov's Experiment Food Unconditioned Stimulus Salivation Unconditioned Response (natural, not learned) Bell Conditioned Stimulus Salivation Conditioned Response (to bell) Other Observations Made by Pavlov · Stimulus Generalization: Once the dog has learned to salivate at the sound of the bell, it will salivate at other similar sounds. · Extinction: If you stop pairing the bell with the food, salivation will eventually cease in response to the bell. · Spontaneous Recovery: Extinguished responses
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