Research Paper On Positivism

Positivism originated with August Comte. It was considered a philosophical approach that replaced speculation with science. Positivist theorists believe

The facility initiated a culture of positivism in their environment(s) by addressing various issues in certain areas of the facility which needed

Auguste Comte coined the term, positive philosophy in the 17th century, as a way that social phenomena can be studied, measured and understood like physical objects by using scientific methods. Comte was concerned with employing the methods and insights of physical science to establish a vital new moral order (Pruss 1996: 5) Therefore, the positivist ontology believes that the world is external and that which cannot be measured does not exist. (McLuhan 2015: 2) Therefore, positivists take an organized

Behaviourists like Skinner believed that the principles involved in these learning processes were applicable to people and underpin complex human behaviour. Skinner proposed that behaviour changes as a result of its consequences and that behaviour is also reinforced by reward. Behaviour that is reinforced will also increase in frequency Skinner suggested. Similarly, he argued, negative reinforcement works in the same way as positive re inforcement. For example, if a loud noise is made every time a rat pokes its nose through its cage, the rat would stop doing it. He promoted the idea that as humans are just another species, giving praise for desirable behaviour in a child would reinforce that behaviour in the same way that getting food by pressing a lever in a box would reinforce behaviour in a rat.

One relevant example of the significant differences between Skinner and Rogers’ theories involves praise and encouragement in the classroom. The behaviourist approach by Skinner recommends the use of praise and rewards, whilst the humanist approach by Rogers relies on encouragement. On the surface, praise and encouragement may seem similar, however, in practice, they have varying effects on students.

A researcher named Burrhus Frederic Skinner thought he would develop the idea of operant conditioning. He suggested than we act in regard to consequences (reward or punishment) in which we actively learn. He suggested there are 3 types of these consequences of behavior; positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment. Positive reinforcement is receiving a reward for acting in a certain way. An example of this could be getting a school prize for performing well in your exams, because of the reinforcement of the prize, the student will try to perform well every time. Negative reinforcement occurs when we act in a way that avoids an unpleasant consequence (e.g. not being late to a meeting because you do not want to be perceived as rude). Punishment is an unpleasant consequence that comes from the way we act. For example, gaining a detention for arriving late to lessons. Punishment decreases like probability that behaviour is likely to be repeated. Whereas, in positive and negative reinforcement the chances are you will repeat the behaviour. Skinner’s conducted research in the form of a lab experiment. He used a hungry rat that was placed in a cage that had been especially developed for the purpose of the study and was named Skinner’s box. In the cage was a button and a food dispenser. When the rat pressed the button food would appear in the dispenser. The animal soon learned that

The theory of Behaviorism is a topic which has been instilled in classrooms all across the world possibly without teachers even noticing. B.F. Skinner is the man who came up with this theory as well as the ways in which to apply it in the classroom. The main idea of this theory is that all human behaviors are learned, and thus they can be unlearned and replaced by new behaviors. This theory is vitally important in the education world because it helps teachers to better instruct their students with the help of positive and negative punishment and positive and negative reinforcement.

The example Skinner uses with the rat and the consequence of it getting food each time it accidently hit the lever, meant it would repeat the action, known as positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement reinforces the behavior by having a consequence that is rewarding, which is very effective. Another way to reinforce a behavior is by negative reinforcement which ends or eliminates an unpleasant experience. Skinner placed a rat in the Skinner Box and would cause it discomfort by an electric current. If the rat would hit the lever, the current would turn off. The rat soon learned to go straight to the lever after just a few times of being in the box (Mcleod, 2007). These concepts were what Skinner believed to be taking place and what lead to his approach of behaviorism. Behaviorism is a theory that human or animal psychology can be studied through examination of observable behavioral events. Behavior is a subject matter in its own right, it is also the functioning of an organism that entails communication or exchanges with its environmental settings (Moore, 2011). Skinner believes that to discover behavior, we should watch actions rather than study mind and emotion. See how beings act in their natural environment and how their behaviors can be changed was Skinners theory which researchers still study

Skinner believed that behaviour is shaped and maintained by a reinforcing stimulus and that schedules of reinforcement are important factors in the learning process. There are many situations in the classroom where a behaviourist approach is likely to work well. For example, when I teach, I have started to pick out students who are making the right choices throughout the lesson. I call attention to the student who is doing the right thing and use verbal praise, which is quite an effective way to let other students realise what the expected learning behaviour is. The Year 6 students in the class are aware of the school’s reward system; ten credits lead to one merit, which is recorded in their merit book. They are also aware that bad behaviour in the class or on the playground will be followed by negative consequences. To warn against unwanted behaviour, I have seen teachers use negative reinforcers such as verbal warnings, timeouts and losing privileges.

There are, though, some similarities between the two theorists. Both dealt with the concept of human motivation. And Skinner, unlike pure behaviourists, did accept that internal processes should be taken into account. Both believed that feedback on actions is important, and both are still, to this day, highly influential in the This literature review will identify two key theories, within the field of education and learning. Consideration will be given to their similarities, differences, strengths and weaknesses, and how they impact on learners when used in practice. The review will examine both humanism and behaviourism, focusing on the work and findings of Abraham Maslow and Burrhus Frederic Skinner. While both theorists have had a profound influence on developmental psychology and education, they hold very different theories and applications.

Positivity is about always looking at the bright side of things. For instance, when walking in school, and seeing a student with their head down, could possibly mean that they are upset. Going up to them and sharing a positive quote or telling them that everything will be alright, could change their attitude. They might feel much better about themselves, or what they were upset about. Positivity could also be a changemaker in your community. For example, if a member of your community was stressed, or just going through a tough time, you could share some positivity with them. When sharing with them all of the good things in life, they might just feel much

Skinner believed this was important in learning as adults teach children on a positive negative reinforcement basis, e.g if a child is good they receive a treat (positive reinforcement) and the child is likely to repeat the behaviour, but if the child is bad they receive a punishment (negative reinforcement) and the behaviour is likely to stop. Although both Pavlov’s and skinners research was performed on animals so how much can we contrast from the behaviour of an animal to the behaviour of a human. In my placement when a child is naughty there are methods used to discourage this behaviour, when a child is naughty there name gets put on the ‘thinking lily pad’ this indicates a child has been bad. The reinforcement is negative as no child wants to be there, whereas if a child is good there name gets put on the ‘fantastic flower’ this positive reinforcement encourages the children to behave and contribute to the lesson, if all children in the class are on the fantastic flower then a dragon fly gets moved to the top of the display board, when this has happened 6 times all children get a treat. This encourages the whole class to work together to behave, it works as when

According to Gewirtz and Peláez-Nogueras (1992), “B. F. Skinner contributed a great deal to advancing an understanding of basic psychological processes and to the applications of science-based interventions to problems of individual and social importance.” He contributed to “human and nonhuman behavior, including human behavioral development, and to various segments of the life span, including human infancy” (p. 1411). One of Skinner's greatest scientific discoveries was “single reinforcement” which became sufficient for “operant conditioning, the role of extinction in the discovery of intermittent schedules, the development of the method of shaping by successive approximation, and Skinner's break with and rejection of stimulus-response

Positivism is a rigorous and formal way to collect and analyze data that was developed around the 1960’s by Auguste Comte (1798-1857) who is also credited with formalizing it. Studies are clear and straight forward and researchers believe that there is only one method that all sciences should rely on. Positivism believes

Skinner was a behaviorist who wanted to provide a method for understanding human behavior, thoughts, and emotions. Skinner believed that classical conditioning was to simplistic to be a complete explanation of the complex human behavior. Skinner believed the best way to understand any behavior is to look directly at the causes of an action and its consequences. He defined this approach as operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is defined as “ the idea that behavior is determined by its consequences, be they reinforcements or punishments, which make it more or less likely that the behavior will occur again” (B. F. Skinner, 2011). The behavioral model observes human behavior as a practical and useful response. This model acknowledges that every behavior has a purpose and has advanced from the earlier stages of a person's understanding. Skinner created a way to allow individuals the ability to avoid negative behaviors. His theory uses positive and negative reinforcements while covering affective punishments to make sure a student's bad behavior does not turn into a pattern. According to our textbook, “one defining characteristic of the behavioral model is that it views behavior from a functional perspective in terms that are both measurable and observable (Wheeler, 2014,p.17).”