WEEK 4, September 18, 2007 BLOG

A wiki section has been added to the ITEC 800 iLearn site.
We will use this site to enter our questions from each week’s lecture and readings.
The team responsible for taking notes is responsible for entering 10 questions for the week’s topic. Students will have the ability to review, edit, and/or add to the questions for the topic.

Dr. Foreman performed a demo of the wiki to the class- note that there is only 1 page to this wiki, therefore there will not be separate pages for each week’s topic.

Dr. Foreman has also posted the blog schedule on the iLearn site. If your name does not appear on the schedule, please sign up for December 11- we still need bloggers.

Opening question: Think about what kind of learning you may have had today. Everyday we learn something- we want to be more aware of learning in our daily lives.

Janet learned that she can get more results out of her colleagues if she asks them for deliverables and due dates…and subsequent due dates. While she knew this already, she felt she got confirmation of this phenomenon today.

Laurie indicated that she has a ‘difficult’ 2nd period math class (7th and 8th graders). She feels that she will need to ‘shape’ their behavior before they ‘shape’ hers.

Dr. Foreman learned how to create a data table iLearn when posting the blog schedule. She also learned that she cannot insert pics – only hyperlinks to pics in the wiki. This was counterintuitive based on her prior learning

It was suggested that in order to avoid people from overlapping in the wiki (and losing data), students first write their thoughts in Word and then cut/paste into the wiki. You can spell/grammar check in Word v. wiki.

This week’s topic: Behaviorism
What is behaviorism? What is the objective? What is the goal?
A process change is the outcome. Outcome has to be demonstrated with change in behavior- must be demonstrable and measurable.

The common ‘picture’ (or equation) for the behaviorist classical model:
Stimulus > black box> Response

Pavlov’s Dog (famous study on behaviorism)
When meat (stimulus) is presented to dogs; the dogs salivate (response)
This is a natural response> classical

Contrast the above to learned behavior:
In learned behavior, there needs to be a reinforcer present. For example, in school, kindergarten children learn that they must first raise their hand to ask questions in a classroom. The teacher presents reinforcers to the children based on the behavior they exhibit: ignore (if no raised hand), acknowledge (if raised hand).

BF Skinner suggested that learned behavior is not a natural behavior.
Skinner implemented applied these early theories of behaviorism to implement a Learning Science, using operant conditioning or learned behavior.

To break a cycle of behavior, we need to learn a replacement behavior.

Example:
Dog salivate when they see meat (respondent behavior)
For the experiment, ring the bell when presenting meat to the dog. The dog salivates (respondent behavior)
Over time, remove the meat but continue to ring the bell. The dog still salivates without meat present. (operant behavior- the dog learned to associate the bell sound with salivation)

A-B-C of Behaviorism, where:
A= stimulus (or antecedent)
B= behavior
C= consequence

Depending on consequence the behavior will be strengthened or weakened.


Video: BF Skinner a Fresh Approach
B.F. Skinner video – circa 1999. He talks about how in his early experiments, he would expect a certain shaped curve and get frustrated when it didn’t turn out that way. He realized that the rats are going to do what they’re going to do and they are right. If there’s a problem, it’s the way he’s set things up that is the problem. Skinner taught us that we are what we can do but we can change what we do. Skinner’s work was about behavior, first focused on animals later with humans. Although early work focused on the individual, later work focused on society and how things could change on a grander scale. Skinner’s dad was a lawyer who scared him about the consequences of criminal activity, his grandmother warned him about religious consequences of sin, etc. and this may have affected his interest in behaviorism. He was a bit rebellious in college but entered Harvard Pscyh Dept in 1928.

3 big things in the 1920s that affected SKinnner:

Darwin Theory of Evolution- Progression from the natural environments leading to survival; suggested a selection process led to behavior selection by consequences.

Freud Psychoanalysis- Adult behavior shaped by very early experiences.
Biggest critics came from psychoanalysts; identifiable behavior by predictable results.

Troy Behaviorism- Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, studied how behavior was conditioned by stimuli (Pavlov’s dog – we all know this story right?) American psychologists, led by John Watson, started really getting interested in behaviorism.

It was a big thing for Skinner that what we do and thing can be studied and understood through science. “We are what we do…but we can learn and change”

Skinner was building machines to understand learning, such as the “Skinner box” where lab animals would continue to peck a disc if they would get food. In general, he realized that animals (humans included) would repeat behaviors that get certain results. Pavlov and Watson’s stimulus focus was too narrow. Skinner added the consequence to the cycle. No longer stimulus-response psychology. Skinner’s realization that behavior was changed by consequences was huge. Critical words: Behavior, Selection, and Individual. Skinner was interested in why one behavior was elicited at a time, when any behavior was possible. Also, Skinner wanted to know why people had different behaviors in the same situation. Consequences are contingent upon a behavior. Depending on the type of consequence, the behavior will or will not be repeated and the frequency was affected.

Pigeon Experiment:
Pigeons peck a disk when a light or food was presented. Only when the ‘x’ was lit, did the pigeon receive food in the feed tray. Pigeon will repeat any activity repeat when it generates reinforcers. Behavior that gets desirable results get repeated. Sequence of events happened backwards to Pavlov- present a reinforcer after a consequence- response>consequence> behavior

Define Operant behavior- see book. Behavior is governed by consequences not the stimulus. Selection of behavior in dependent on the environment; it is also at discretion of the individual. Skinner asked, “ Why is one behavior selected from many at any time?” “Why does an individual act different than another in the same situation?”

Contingency of reinforcement:
Consequences are contingent on some act- if x then y. We can mold behavior completely out of the range.

Shaping is the gradual molding of behavior. Selection by consequences is a fact not a theory.

Operant conditioning
Discriminative stimuli (like a traffic light) allow organism to make distinctions to determine a consequence may happen signal opportunity to do something to likely produce reinforcers. Reinforcers have 2 characteristics: they must be observable and cause the action to be repeated or happen more often.
They control when and where we do things.

Response> discriminative stimuli> consequence

Without discriminative stimuli we would try to do everything at once. So it allows us to make decisions. Discriminative stimuli can lead to reinforcements but can also be a reinforcer itself (i.e. money.)

Positive reinforcement/ Negative reinforcement/ Punishment- occurs when an action it follows is the lost of an action. We confuse negative reinforcement with punishment often, but Negative reinforcement and punishment are not the same. Skinner was not a big advocate of punishment. Skinner was concerned a lot with RATE of occurrence; something that happens a lot. The concern is with high or low frequencies of behavior.

Reinforcement schedules:
Reinforcement which occur less frequently have a longer lasting impression than more frequent.

In 1938 was a big year. Skinner published “Behavior of Organisms.” He also became a father that year.

Skinner Invented the highly controversial “Baby Box” a warm sleeping chamber, to quell his daughters crying and enable her to sleep. Skinner’s daughters talk about Skinner’s controversial “baby box” – a heated space for the baby to sleep. His younger daughter defends his practices.

Daughters talk about Skinner’s teaching machines. During a visit to his daughter’s math class, he observed that some kids in math class already knew the material being taught and were bored. He used the idea of behaviorism to create teaching machines. With the teaching machine, you could go at your own pace and you get a response for each. Technology held back the success of teaching machines.

There are 5 steps in behavioral conditioning:
Step 1: Set Behavioral Goals
Step 2: Determine Appropriate Reinforcers
Step 3: Select Procedures for Changing Behavior
Step 4: Implement Procedures and Record Results
Step 5: Evaluate Progress and Revise as Necessary

During the evaluation period, you may find that the old goal is valid but need to use new reinforcers. People are motivated by different reinforcers.

Small Group Exercise: Review your solutions for John’s rest breaks from his computer.

The common solution was a computer program/screen saver that would remind John to take his breaks. The screen saver would have intelligence built in to have a report out to management enabling them to review if he was actually taking his breaks.

Benefits to John include: more energy, less wrist pain, better vision, discounts on medical and vision care plans.

Match the US State Quiz:
The class was instructed to take the quiz online. Then break into groups to discuss how we could improve the quiz. This is an example of the importance of Formal Evaluation in Instructional Design. The following comments were presented:
-Click on the name of the state, change to shape…match shape to shape.
-Showing how much time it took and time remaining.
-After the time is up, the program should indicate all the states’ location if you failed to complete 100%. That way you learn from your mistakes.
-The aversive stimulus (annoying “you’re wrong” sound) was sort of helpful because it didn’t allow you to make permanent mistakes – mislabel the states.
-With this game, there were technical difficulties – even if you were right, it didn’t always accept your answer.
-Take a tutorial before you take this quiz. This assumes you know US geography.

There is a PPT presentation in Behaviorism for review posted on Ilearn.

Next week’s assignment:
Cognitive Theory
Read chapter 3 and draw a visual map with the information from your learnings in chapter 3. Use concept mapping software such as Inspiration- link in iLearn. You can also use software like Visio (PC) or OmniGraffe (MAC).