PSYCHOLOGY AS THE STUDY OF OBSERVABLE BEHAVIOR IN THE LIGHT OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING, OPERANT CONDITIONING AND HUMANISTIC THEORY

 PSYCHOLOGY AS THE OBSERVABLE BEHAVIOR IN THE LIGHT OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING, OPERANT CONDITIONING AND HUMANISTIC THEORY

By Levinson

1.0  INTRODUCTION

Many people do not know that psychology is describe as the study of observable behavior by some scholars in their theories. As teachers, it is very imperative to discuss and understand this observable behaviour if we are to effectively teach and faze away phobia, stubbornness, and bad repercussion pupil have on teachers. The whole idea is to make them perform well in their school academic, have respect for their teachers and a considerable behaviour towards fellow pupils. observing the behavior of pupils will enable us to understand why they behave in such a way and create a better response to overcome that behaviour so that he or she can have a better future  or prepare a pupil for future leadership.

Therefore in this paper I have defined what is Psychology in general and concentrate my discussion on the definition, “ psychology is the study of observable behavior”,  in line with the stages under classical conditioning, operant conditioning and humanistic theory are explained whilst considering theories imprecations, strengths and weaknesses in the context of our Zambian culture.

  DEFINITION

The definition is joined by two words; Psyche which means “mind” and logy which means  “study.”

The study further believed it was the study of mind, spirit and the study of mental processes and behaviour.

Psychology was started by Wilhelm Wundt in German. It is the combination of two words, “Philosophy and physiology.

Philosophy means speculation of ideas and physiology means-testing of ideas or experimenting of ideas.

It is also defined as science developed through research and of course through learning.

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

Classic conditioning  also known as pavloian or respondent conditioning. This refers to the learning procedure in which biologically potent stimulus (food) is paired with previously natural stimulus ( bell). It also refers to the leaning process that results from this pairing, through which the neural stimulus come to elicit a response ( salivation) that is similar to the one elicited by the potent stimulus.  

Classical conditioning is a type of leaning that at first had a major influence in the school of thoughts in psychology known as behaviorism. Discovered by Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov.

Behaviorism is based on the assumption that:

Ø  All leaning occurs through interaction with the environment.

Ø  The environment shapes behavior and so on.

Pavlov said, the dogs were demonstrating classical conditioning. He summed it up like this: there is a neutral stimulus (the bell), which by itself will not produce a response, like salivation. There is also a non neutral or unconditional neutral stimulus ( the food), which will produce an conditional response ( salivation).

The theory of classical conditioning (also called Pavlovian conditioning) is universally accepted and has remained virtually unchanged since its conception through Pavlov’s work. It is used to explain and interpret a wide range of human behavior, including where phobias come from, why people dislike certain foods, the source of students emotions. Classical conditioning focuses on reflexive behavior: those behaviors that are not under students voluntary control.

Any reflex can be conditioned to occur to a previously neutral stimulus. A person can be classically conditioned so that some one’s left eye blinks when  he or she hears a doorbell, a person’s heart rate increases at the sight of a flashing blue light and when you eat strawberries. The doorbell, blue light, and strawberries were all neutral in relation to the conditioned responses until they somehow became associated with unconditioned stimuli for eye blinking (i.e., a puff of air into the eye) and heart rate increase (i.e., a sudden loudnoise).

In 1913 john Watson published the classic articles, “Psychology as the behaviorist view it.” John Watson proposed that the process of classical conditioning ( based on Pavlov’s observations) was able to explain all aspects of human psychology. Watson denied completely the exisistence the mind of consciousness. He believed that all individual differences in behavior were due to different experiences of leaning. He famously said, “give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I will guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant, chief, beggar and a thief regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vacations and race of his ancestors . 

THE THREE CLASSICAL STAGES;

STAGE 1: BEFORE CONDITIONING.

An organism or a person has produced a behavior/ response which is unlearned and this become a natural inactivity which is not controlled or taught. For example a pupil who dislike mathematics also dislikes the teacher for mathematics. The teacher cannot control it unless he or she has learned that. in Zambia we have specialized counselors in schools called careers  guidance who can advise and counsel a pupil on how he or she can improve in that subject or behavior at large.

STAGE TWO IS CALLED DURING CONDITIONING.

This is a stage were by un learned activity is disclosed or learned and meat with the teaching activity by the teacher on several occasions. In Zambia this is identified in those teachers who are well taught and those that did counseling in their universities. This is like that because teachers who did counseling in their colleges/ universities have skills to identify and respond with an effective treatment.

STAGE THREE IS CALLED AFTER CONDITIONING.

In this stage an addressed problem or activity meets with the un conditioned activity to create a new conditioned response. For example in our schools in Zambia if a pupil is indiscipline to teachers or he is found of with an offence of coming late to school a better punishment is given to him or her in order to eliminate indiscipline.

STRENGTH

 It is scientific this is because it is used on observation or empirical evidence carried out by controlled experience. For example if a pupil is not good in mathematics or he is rude to the teachers, he will be identified by failing all the time. If he or she is rude he or she will be identified by the way he or she responds to teachers. Once that problem is identified a teacher with experience will find a better treatment to control that problem.

WEAKNESS

Ø  It does not promote free will in individual. For example if a person does not want to be learning mathematics, he or she can be forced because it is not an option it is offered to every pupil in class. Therefore a pupil has no option but just to do it.

Ø  A student who is stubborn to teachers will at school will develop fear and stop going to school.

Ø  Also sometime a student who is always punished in class by the teacher will lose interest in the subject and this will lead him or her failing that subject.

OPERANT CONDITIONING

It is a type of leaning were behavior is controlled by consequences . the most important words in operant conditions are: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment and negative punishment.

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

This is giving something pleasant after a behavior. This gives an assurance of a behavior to continue. Examples how it can be used in class:

Ø   Congratulating a student after having passed a test, this increases his or her amount of performance.

Ø   Complementing a student when he answers correctly will increase his or her behavior.

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

This means taking away same thing not pleasing from a student or a pupil. Because of the behavior that is not tolerated. This also means to increase the behavior. For example how it can be used in class:

Ø  When a teacher exempt a pupil from writing a test if they always attend class. So the teacher here is taking away bad behavior to make a student better in character.

POSITIVE PUNISHMENT

Positive punishment is used to decrease a behavior. Presenting something not pleasing after a behavior. Example how it can be used in class:

Ø  When a pupil misbehave in class, must be chased out of the class.

NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT

It is also used to decrease a behavior and it is the removing some pleasant after the behavior. For  example how it can be used in class:

Ø  When a pupil always plays with a phone in class, the teacher must confiscate and keep for him. the teachers does that to reduce the habit or behavior of not concentration in class.

Ø  The parents hides a ball which makes his or her son lose concentration.

Skinner looked at classical conditioning to be too simplistic to be a complete explanation of complex human behavior.

He argued that the best way to understand behavior is to look at the cause of an action and its consequences.

Operant conditioning deals with operant intentional actions that have an effect on the surrounding environment. Skinner theory of operant condition based on the work of

Skinner introduced the new term in the law of effect known as reinforcement. He said behavior which is reinforced tends to be repeated( this means strengthened) but behavior which is not reinforced tends to die out or be extinguished(that is to say it can be weakened).  

For example a pupil who has given a desired response or who has performed well in class, must be strengthened motivated to do more. Then it is a belief that if a pupil is not motivated or strengthened tends to die or weakened.

THREE  RESPONSE STAGES  THAT CAN FOLLOW BEHAVIOR WITH MY   OWN EXPLANATION AND ILLUSTRATIONS

NATURAL OPERANT

 on this stage skinner identified that behavior can neither be increased nor decreased by the response.

  REINFORCES

here he observed that the enforcer may enforce the behavior either negatively or positively. Meaning that if a student have passed the test or exam, the teacher can motivate him or her. Again if a student have failed because he or she always play with a phone in class the teacher must confiscate that phone to make her or him start concentrating.

According to skinner he said, “ the only characteristic of reinforcing stimulus is that it reinforces.” ( skinner 1953:72). This means that a teacher must provide to a pupil activities that can make her or him interested  and happy in their learning. For example our mathematics teacher used to give us combined questions, the simple ones and those that were a bit difficult not to make us fail complete. But to see us knowing mathematics, see every one participating and not to see any one running away from his subject. on top of that he used to give us extra free tuitions to make us improve.

PUNISHER

on the third stage skinner observed that to change the behavior that is being repeated, punishment must be applied. The best example is my own illustration. When I was in grade nine at Solwezi technical school my geography teacher one day checked our notes books and he found that three of us never wrote notes for the past one week. Mr. Chitanda whipped us 10 strokes each and after class he gave as another punishment of digging a pit behind our dormitory. As we were doing that he even assigned a captain to monitor us so that no one could doge from that punishment.

From that very time we were the first to finish writing the notes whenever he left the notes to be written by a class but that made us start fearing him in class. This type of punishment were not only being given to Zambian pupil but also to pupil in other different schools even outside Zambia. These were allowed to be used by teachers in schools in order to control bad behavior of pupil in school, many pupil stopped schools and others developed hetradge with teachers which always resulted into poor performance.

Today in our schools in Zambia very few teachers are applying corporal punishment and those few are mainly in rural schools were Law enforcers and the human rights workers rarely visits those areas

An example of punishments existing are such as dismissing a pupil who drinks, smocks dagger and those who trouble teachers. For those who are dull or those who are lazy to write notes and participate are always shifted to the front desks for the teacher to closely supervise them all the time. Some teachers also give tension to those who perform poorly in class on order to discover what is really is affecting a pupil and by doing that many have been helped.  

HUMANISTIC THEORY

Humanistic theory is a psychological perspective that emphasizes the study of the all person.

Humanistic psychology look at human behavior, not only through the eyes of an observer, but through the eyes of the person doing the behaving.

It is a believe that an individual’s behavior is connected to his inner feelings and self image.

It centers on the view that each person is unique and individual, and has the free will to change at any time in his or her lives.

Abraham rejected the European emphasis on despair, anxiety and death. He was clearly the first positive psychologist, because he suggested that existentialism might provide a “push toward the establishment of another branch of psychology, the psychology of the fully evolved and authentic self and its ways of being” (Abraham Maslow 1961:56). This idea of rejecting European emphasis was good in the sense that today we are able to talk about because people who led Abraham’s rejection developed and organized their ideas and published humanistic theories which talks about a person being responsible for his own happiness and well being as a human.

Humanistic is good theory because a pupil or student is not restricted to what he or she cannot do but many students have dropped from schools because they are not restricted to what they are suppose to do.  Also I have witnessed may people giving testimony about how their teachers used to punish them for not following school rules and bad performance in class. By fearing to be punished they did what was right and they are the way they are today because they did what was right to their teachers.

The humanistic perspective suggest that everyone is responsible for his or her own happiness and well being as humans. We have the inborn capacity for making something real, which is our unique desire to achieve our highest potential as people. Because of this perspectives humanistic theory regards scientific method as inappropriate for studying behavior. Carl R. Rogers is prominent figure among supporters of ‘Third Force’. To some in this group it is not rational to capture the essence of man through pure objective or scientific way; for science can only reach the ‘obvious’ visible and measureable behavior which is only ‘trivial’ or unimportant, thus leaving out his ‘uniqueness’, ‘complexity’, and ‘unpredictability’ which is the most important

one. My contribution to this is that a student must balance or have both in order not to just have preconceived mind and speculation but measure his or her ability and measure what could be the root calls or the problem failure and find a solution to that. And continue working on the weakness.

 Kplowitz says, “ How learners feel about themselves and the material to be learned is as important as what they think about that material. Along with the cognitive psychologist, those following the humanist path insist that material must have personal meaning or it will not be learned.”  Kaplowitz,( 2008: 26-49).

Frankl also supports the idea by saying that, although our existence is influenced by instincts, inherited disposition and environment, an area of freedom is always available to us. “Everything can be taken from a man, but…the last of the human freedoms to choose one’s attitude in any a given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way” (Frankl, 1963, p.104).

This is theory encourages free will to the students and only pupil who are naturally bright can to well in class. This is because when a teacher gives free will to a pupil who is not doing well in class, he or she will remain lazy for the rest of his or her life. The teacher can be waiting for that pupil to change on her own up to the time he or she will finish school.

This theory in Zambia was brought in by the human rights commission to replace punishment response to behavior of a pupil. Up to now law enforcing officers and human rights officers are monitoring and ready to arrest every teacher who will impose severe punishment on a pupil. As a result of this more pupil have become lazy and others are not even completing their education.

TO IMPROVE ON THE OBSERVABLE BEHAVIOR THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE THEORIES THAT ARE CURRENTLY BEING APPLIED IN ZAMBIAN SCHOOLS.

COLOUR GROUPING: this is a theory copied from glass groups where pupil used to be put in groups of numbers say; group 1, 2, 3 and 4. But colour grouping is where pupil are divided into three or four groups and each group is allowed to choose their own name of a fruit which the teacher will be calling them. The secrete remains with the teacher to identify which group is doing fine and it is named what. Which one is not doing fine and it is named what. The idea behind this is for the teacher to easy identification of which group is in need of more help and deliver help to them. 

STUDENT TEACHER RELATION: this is where a teacher builds his or her examples from long method of a pupil to the correct one. Here the teacher instead of putting a cross on a wrong answer he or she must call a pupil when marking and just show an example whilst marking and allow a pupil do the work again. The reason behind this is to avoid embracement.

Also in this theory a teacher identifies a pupil who is dull and every time he wants to ask a question he should call a dull pupil by his or her name. The all reason that is to provoke the mind of that dull pupil to fill loved by that teacher and starts participating or thinking hard.

PUPIL TO PUPIL RELATIONSHIP: this is a theory says let a pupil teach a pupil. After a teacher have identified a dull pupil in class all what he need to do is to form class groups. It is in these same groups dull people are placed in to be taught or learn from others. The idea is that a pupil will develop interest and concentration as he or she will fear to be imbalanced.

HOMEWORK POLICE: This is a police were home work must be given to pupil every day which must be answered daily pupil. This police enable a pupil gain experience on how to answer questions and do away with fear of questions or class works. Even his or her thinking can improve because homework will make a pupil start asking his or her friends who are better than him or her.

TEACHER TO PARENT ASSOCIATION: the teacher must advise parent to develop interest in checking their children’s books when they are back from school and advise them to make corrections. Parents are advised to not to write for children but just to guide them or simply give them examples.

CONCLUSION

 my suggestions to the discussion of this paper is that, although classical does not provide free will but because the teach has rights to observe and treat the student with his or her experience, a Stubborn student or pupil can be helped or controlled. Although this method can help at time it cannot be encouraged to some teachers who keep granges and short tempered. To be the best teacher is to use the operant condition such as, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and negative punishment.

Humanistic theory is good to students with self control but to those who don’t mind about their lives they need not to be allowed by their teachers. Otherwise there are many people who have dropped from school because their parents thought they were mature enough to think for themselves when they were not. I was not advised but I completed school but not everyone can do that. Teachers must be creative, innovative, motivating and ready to help students and do more of this to the severe punishment which may end up frustrating a student more and at the end stops attending his or her lessons.

References

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Watson, J. B. (1913: 20, 158-178 ). Psychology as the behaviorist views it. Psychological Review.

Watson, J. B., & Rayner, R. (1920: 3, 1, pp. 1–14 ). Conditioned emotional reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology,.

B.F. SKINNER (1936) The Behavior of Organisms and the concepts of operant conditioning and shaping.

Frankl, (1963:104) existential Humanistic theory

Dembo, Myron H. (1988). Teaching for Learning: Applying Educational Psychology in the Classroom.

Elliott, Stephen N., Thomas  R. Kratochwill, Joan Littlefield Cook, and John F. Travers.( 2000). Educational Psychology: Effective Teaching, Effective Learning.

Kaplowitz,Joan.(2008). “The Psychology of Learning: Connecting Theory to Practice.” In Information Literacy Instruction Handbook, edited by Christopher N. Cox and Elizabeth Blakesley Lindsay. Chicago.

Abraham  pavlov (1897) Experiment on conditioning on digestion in dogs.

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