30 Part 1 Foundations of Human Development
Skinner saw that to make the behavior
stick, the reinforcement must be gradually
removed in an unpredictable pattern. Some-
times you are reinforced, whereas other times
you are not. He believed that these stages
were crucial to learning. As a result, you still
believe that you are good in math and try
harder each time you complete a project or
take an exam. Your behavior has changed.
Behaviorists call this learning.
Behaviorism in the form of operant con-
ditioning became quite popular in American
education. Providing continuous positive
reinforcement when a new skill or behavior
is learned, followed by gradual removal of
the reinforcement, is believed to result in a
permanent behavioral change. Negative rein-
forcement, or punishment, is also believed to
be very important.
You have probably observed the effects
of behaviorism when working with children.
Encouraging children for their efforts, mod-
eling positive behaviors, and maintaining a
positive attitude can have a significant effect
on their behavior by making interactions
pleasant and fun.
Social Cognitive Theory: Taking Behaviorism One More Step
Is behaviorism really that simple? Imagine that you are babysitting several
active young children. They are arguing over toys, whining and complaining,
and physically hurting one another. Despite all your encouragement, modeling of
appropriate behavior, and a positive attitude, you are having difficulty getting the
children under your care to behave appropriately. If simple positive reinforcement
and punishment is all that is necessary, why do children not learn and behave the
way people want them to? Also, if behaviorism really works, why can people not
use behaviorism to control behaviors in adults?
Albert Bandura argued that people are very different from Pavlov’s dog. They
are much more complex. He argued that people, whether children or adults, watch
and imitate other people’s behaviors, despite whether or not there are rewards and
punishments involved, 2-8. People are affected by rewards and punishments, but
their reaction to rewards and punishments are filtered by their own perceptions,
thoughts, and motivations. He called this social cognitive theory.
Social cognitive theorists believe that a child who observes a kind act may later
imitate the same act toward a classmate. Another learns how to swear or eat healthy
by imitating other people’s actions. The same experiences, however, will not have the
same result on every person. How a person responds is based on personal reaction and
how he or she processes the information. A child who observes aggressive behavior
may become aggressive or a person who avoids conflict. The result all depends on how
the person processes the information and his or her cognitive abilities.
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2-7
When you have a positive or favorable
experience such as getting a good grade on a
class project, you internalize the experience as
positive.