B F SKINNER BEHAVIORISM THEORY JEAN PIAGET COGNITIVE

B. F. SKINNER & BEHAVIORISM THEORY JEAN PIAGET & COGNITIVE THEORY MARIA PENA EDTC-3320

� B. F. Skinner and Jean Piaget are well known psychologists that have impacted the education field tremendously with their behaviorism and cognitivism theories. � Both theories are evident in current educational settings such as online educational environments as well as regular classrooms.

Burrhus Frederic Skinner was born March 20, 1904. � Skinner was an “American psychologist, behaviorist, author, inventor, and social philosopher”. � Behaviorism is considered the oldest and most influential theory. � Skinner branded his behavior as “radical behaviorism”.

� “The consequences of a behavior produce changes in the probability of the behavior’s future occurrence. ” � A child’s behavior is more likely to recur if he is rewarded with a positive stimulus. � If a child’s behavior is rewarded with a negative stimulus, then the behavior will more then likely not recur. � According to Skinner, these rewards and punishments shape individual’s development.

SKINNER (1948) STUDIED OPERANT CONDITIONING BY CONDUCTING EXPERIMENTS USING ANIMALS WHICH HE PLACED IN A “SKINNER BOX” WHICH WAS SIMILAR TO THORNDIKE’S PUZZLE BOX. Skinner - Operant Conditioning by Saul Mc. Leod , published 2007, updated 2014

� Teaching machines used in the past were basic compared to what we find in modern day classrooms. � Today we use computers, laptops, ipads and various other technologies in the classroom or to take classes on-line. � “Computers and software are, in essence, much more complex versions of the Teaching Machine. ”

� School districts, universities and colleges are using instructional software and computer-assisted instruction to provide “drill and practice tutorials with individual instructions and feedback”. Not only does this provide students with reinforcement, but also with immediate feedback which helps both the teacher and the student. � This type of learning drives a lot of current educational practices where competencies and standards have become established indicators of achievement.

Jean Piaget was a famous Swiss psychologist. ■ According to Saul Mc. Leod, 2009 “Piaget (1936) was the first psychologist to make a systematic study of cognitive development”. ■Piaget believed that children are born with a genetically inherited and evolved extremely basic mental structure on which all subsequent learning and knowledge is based. (Mc. Leod 2009) Jean Piaget at the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor

� In his article “Jean Piaget”, Mc. Leod states that according to Piaget, “cognitive development was a progressive reorganization of mental processes as a result of biological maturation and environmental experience”. (2009) � According to Piaget’s theory “children actively construct their understanding of the world and go through four stages of cognitive development”. Two process are involved in the cognitive construction of the world: organization and adaptation. (1) We organize our experiences based on the importance of each experience. (2) We adapt our thinking to incorporate new ideas to further understanding by assimilation and accommodation

� Schemas —Building blocks of knowledge � Adaptation Processes that enable the transition from one stage to the other (EQUILIBRIUM, ASSIMILATION AND ACCOMODATION). � Stages of Development � SENSORIMOTOR STAGE � PREOPERATIONAL STAGE � CONCRETE OPERATIONAL STAGE � FORMAL OPERATIONAL STAGE

FOUR STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Sensorimotor Stage (Birth to 2 years of age) The infant constructs an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences with physical actions. An infant progresses from reflexive, instinctual action at birth to the beginning of symbolic thought toward the end of the stage. Concrete Operational Stage (7 -11 years of age) The child can now reason logically about concrete events and classify objects into different sets. C Preoperational Stage (2 -7 years of age) The child begins to represent the world with words and images. These words and images reflect increased symbolic thinking and go beyond the connection of sensory information and physical action. Formal Operational Stage (11 years of age through adulthood) The adolescent reasons in more abstract, idealistic, and logical ways.

� � "Rhythm, regulation, operation-these are three basic mechanisms of self-regulation and self-maintenance”. Online teachers provide frequent feedback, updates and communicate regularly with students. This is called rhythm. Regulation refers to students and teachers knowing the rules and the difference between right and wrong. Online Professors use the same principals as in traditional classrooms. They teach the essential social functions rules, right and wrong, they mentor and monitor students as to why their reactions or actions were not befitting in the online classroom environment such as the discussion board. Teachers and students are accountable for what is posted on the discussion boards. Self-maintenance in online classes refers to the fact that students and the professor are organized, prepared, presentation equipment is working and they are willing to communicate any errors made by any of the parties. This promotes growth and development.

� � Students taking courses online use Piagetian theories extensively by communicating not only with their professors, but also with other students through discussion forums, e-mail or chatrooms. By taking online courses, they are growing academically as well as career wise. They learn to follow rules and they have to find equilibrium to be able to handle a job, a family, schoolwork and anything else that comes their way. They must be cognitively active for self maintenance and regulation. In other words, they must follow rules and know right from wrong. They must also be organized. Online students sometimes have to form groups to work on assignments. They have to cooperate with one another and keep updating each other on the progress of the project. They have to interact socially to accomplish the assignment. This type of cooperation also leads to knowledge development.

� Students cooperate with one another in group settings when working on assignments which is a type of social interaction that leads to knowledge development.

� B. F. Skinner’s behaviorism theory and Jean Piaget’s cognitive theory have impacted the educational environment in both real and virtual classrooms. � Piaget’s ideas in developmental psychology have tremendously influenced how people view the cognitive development of children. � Skinner’s behaviorism theory have influenced a lot of current educational practices where competencies and standards have become established indicators of achievement.

B. F. Skinner. (September 2013). In Wikipedia online. Retrieved June 10, 2014 from: http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/B. _F. _Skinner Donatelli, J. Piagetian theories in online discussion forums. Theories of Educational Technology. Retrieved June 10, 2014 from: https: //sites. google. com/a/boisestate. edu/edtechtheories/donatelli Ebert, A. K. Behaviorism vs. constructivism in the technological secondary education classroom. Theories of Educational Technology. Retrieved June 20, 2014 from: https: //sites. google. com/a/boisestate. edu/edtechtheories/behaviorism-vs-constructivism-in-thetechnological-secondary-education-classroom-1 Mc. Leod, S. A. (2007). Skinner - Operant Conditioning. Retrieved from http: //www. simplypsychology. org/operant-conditioning. html Mc. Leod, S. A. (2009). Jean Piaget. Retrieved from http: //www. simplypsychology. org/piaget. html Santrock, J. (November 2012). The science of life span development. Chapter 2. The childhoods of Erikson & Piaget. pp. 33, 35, 38. Retrieved from: http: //www. mcgrawhill. ca/college/santrock/lifespa

� Acknowledgement: Pictures – under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2. 0 Generic Licence. Retreived from: http: //commons. wikimedia. org/wiki/Main_P age