Behaviourism is a commonly used learning theory and has been around since the 1920s. Behaviourist psychology aims to model the study of human behaviour and intertwines views with physical sciences. Therefore, behaviour, is considered something that humans can directly observe (Bates, 2019). Behaviourism is a common learning theory that is used when working with neurodivergent people, specifically those who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Applied behaviour analysis is a commonly practiced therapeutic treatment for individuals who have ASD. The overarching goal of ABA therapy is to “Improve the human condition through behaviour change” (BACB, 2023).
I understand there are a lot of negative connotations behind using ABA therapy treatment. However, I have seen first hand how much it can improve individuals quality of life. At the end of the day, it is important to remember that ABA treatment is not for everyone and it is important to respect everyone for the choices they make for themselves or their loved ones.
At work, I use behaviourism learning theories to teach clients every-day life skills, from practicing how to put on socks and shoes, to going to the grocery store to buy items and then make recipes. I also remember behaviourism used as a natural reward and punishment when I was in school. For example, in elementary school, as a class if we were quiet and everyone cleaned up and was ready to go, we would get to play on the playground, for ~10 mins before dismissal. However, if someone was not ready to go, our natural punishment was no extra playground time. Which taught us to respect our classroom and importance of keeping clean.
Despite me using behaviourism a lot in my line of work, teaching in a classroom, as a teacher, one learning theory I would be most interested in using cognitivism. I think I am drawn to using cognitivism learning theory because I like how flexible it is and how the focus is on creating new knowledge (Bates, 2019). In school, I really enjoyed doing science experiments, in my Chemistry 11 class. I think these are a great example of cognitivism as there was a pre-determined outcome as, if we did anything wrong, we would have to problem solve, and if needed start over. This enforces Bates (2019) idea of explaining how the cognitive learning theory views the human mind as a computer.
Overall, I think as a psychology major and future teacher learning about the brain and why we do things is super interesting to me and that is the basis of cognitivism. Bates (2019) provides an excellent example of what cognitivists and cognitivism “make sense of new information, how we access, interpret, integrate, process, organize and manage knowledge” (Chapter 2.4). Despite the differences these two learning theories have, both are very useful, and help students excel and learn new things in different ways.
References
Bates, T. (2019). Chapter 2: The nature of knowledge and the implications for teaching. In Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing and learning. AU Press. https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/part/chapter-2-the-nature-of-knowledge-and-the-implications-for-teaching/
Behaviour Analyst Certification Board [BACB]. (2023, June 22). Bacb – about behavior analysis. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://www.bacb.com/about-behavior-analysis/
