By Jason Hreha

Glossary

Behavioral Learning Theory

Reviewed by Jason Hreha

Published 1 min read

What is behavioral learning theory?

Behavioral learning theory refers to approaches that study how experience and environmental conditions change behavior. It is closely associated with behaviorism, including the work of Watson, Pavlov, and Skinner. These approaches emphasize observation and measurement, but they are not one claim that all behavior is learned or that biology and private experience are irrelevant.

Classical and operant conditioning

  • Classical conditioning concerns learning associations between stimuli. A cue paired with food can come to elicit a response such as salivation. The animal learns something about what the cue predicts.

  • Operant conditioning concerns how consequences affect an action’s future occurrence. In Skinner’s account (1953), reinforcement is identified by an increase in behavior. Positive reinforcement adds a stimulus; negative reinforcement removes one. “Positive” does not mean good, and “negative” does not mean punishment.

A consequence is not a reinforcer merely because someone intended it as a reward. Check what happens to the behavior.

Reinforcement schedules

Reinforcement can follow every relevant response or only some responses. A schedule may depend on the number of responses or on elapsed time. These arrangements affect patterns of responding and what happens when reinforcement stops.

Observational learning

Learning can also involve observing another person’s actions. Bandura’s social learning work broadened the discussion beyond direct reinforcement. The National Academies’ account of behavioral models discusses conditioning and social learning in relation to health behavior.

Applications and limits

These ideas inform teaching, behavior therapy, and other attempts to change behavior. They help make questions specific: which cue, which action, and which consequence? They do not establish that one reward system or teaching procedure will work for every person. A useful explanation must also fit the task, the person’s capabilities, and the setting.