Skinner’s Radical Behaviorism
In this week’s Learning Resources you read about Skinner’s radical behaviorism. Skinner’s learning principles can be applied in the areas of behavior management and education. For example,
“reinforcement” is one of Skinner’s learning principles and refers to anything that increases the likelihood a response will recur. In a classroom, this learning principle can be seen in the form of a “token economy,” whereby the teacher awards tokens immediately after a desirable behavior as a technique to reinforce the desirable behavior and decrease undesirable behavior. The tokens can later be exchanged for a meaningful item or privilege.
For this Assignment, you will describe specific instances in your own life experiences, or life experiences you have observed in others, that seem to be consistent with Skinner’s learning principles and use your own judgment to evaluate their effectiveness and appropriateness.
To Prepare:
Review the Learning Resources for this week to gain an understanding of the learning principles of Skinner’s radical behaviorism, including the weekly media video and the interactive media, “Skinner’s Radical Behaviorism.
Identify at least two specific instances in your own life experiences, or life experience you have observed in others, that seem to be consistent with Skinner’s learning principles, either from the behavior management side (e.g., reinforcement, extinction, time out, token economies) or from the educational side (e.g., behavioral objectives, self-paced learning).
Assignment (1–2 pages)
Write a description of at least two specific instances in your own life experience, or life experiences you have observed in others, that seem to be consistent with Skinner’s learning principles. These can be either from the behavior management side (e.g., reinforcement, extinction, time out, token economies) or from the educational side (e.g., behavioral objectives, self-paced learning). Briefly describe these instances and comment on their effectiveness and appropriateness (in your judgment).
Answer preview for Skinner’s Radical Behaviorism
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