Just like the Altoid experiment that was done on the show the Office, this kid in this video wanted to trick someone too. This kid seemed to have some doubt in the beginning as to whether or not the pairing of associations would work. Little did he know, if you pair a stimulus with something enough times, then you can obtain the appropriate behavior. This video is so useful because it shows that the concepts of behaviorism are seen in so many everyday actions that we do. Just like the PowerPoint presentation discussed, there are so many activities that occur during our day that elicit certain behavior. For example, as I am sitting here typing this blog, my boyfriend just opened a paper bag. I reacted by getting hungry (since it sounded like a fast food bag). As I jumped up to see what he had brought home, it was a paper bag filled with tabs for cans that he collects at school. Bummer! James would agree it is about associations that are made.
For us school psychology students, behaviorism is a huge part of what we do. An example of this is our responsibility to completing Functional Behavior Assessments for students' particular behavior. I just completed my first observation for a student who throws tantrums. It is amazing to actually observe in the classroom and to see that there is an antecedent and consequence to his tantrums. During this observation, every time he has a tantrum, the teacher ran over to him and gave him attention.
This blog includes my personal reactions to weekly readings for the Theories of Learning Course at the University of Kentucky.
2 comments:
Patrice,
It is interesting that when thinking about the antecedent to a behavior, the behavior and the function that it serves, and the consequences that follow, that they all can be narrowed down to either classical conditioning or operant conditioning; sometimes the situation could simultaneously be both. As you said, studying behavior is such a huge aspect of a school psychologist's job. I think about how all the interventions are based upon the foundational principles of operant conditioning. Once these principles are mastered, I believe the sky is the limit as to what can be done in terms of manipulating behaviors.
Patrice,
You are right, behaviorism is a huge part of a school psychologists role. It is difficult as a teacher to ignore unwanted behaviors and only give attention to desired behaviors. When I had a classroom, I remember the day I realized students would turn in homework more often when I rewarded the behavior with a sticker. How much of a teacher's instructional day do you think is spent on rewarding desired behaviors from students?
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