Behaviorism and Constructivism in Psychology: theoretical bases and differences
Learning is the process by which the organism incorporates new knowledge or skills into its repertoire through experience. It is the way by which we acquire, generalize, contextualize or vary our behavior and our way of seeing reality.
There have been multiple theories and currents of thought that have dealt with the learning process, arising different paradigms that have been opposed throughout history. Two of the most recognized have been and continue to be behaviorism and constructivism.
Behaviorism: learning as an association
Behaviorism is one of the most well-known paradigms of psychology and has expanded the most throughout history, having had a notable influence on various dimensions of psychology such as clinical and educational.
Born at a time in history when currents predominated based on unprovable theoretical assumptions, behaviorism was born as an attempt to base the knowledge of human behavior on experimentally testable empirical criteria .
This current explains the behavior from the learning of behavioral patterns derived from the association between the different possible stimuli, in which elements that by themselves generate damage or well-being are linked with others by being in contact in space and time, the latter having acquired the characteristics of the former and provoking the same reactions in the organism. Later, the individual can get to generalize these associations to similar stimuli and situations .
Behaviorism therefore tries to work from totally objective variables, with which its methodology is based on the collection of information from experiments in which both the stimuli and the response are directly observable as physiological information or even observation.
Throughout the history of Psychology are numerous authors who worked in this current or that gave rise to it, being some of the main Pavlov, Skinner or Watson.
The behavioral model
Behaviorism maintains a strictly mechanistic point of view and proposes that the behavior is governed by clear and invariable laws . It is considered that the environment is solely responsible for human or animal behavior, leaving the individual as a totally passive entity that receives information from the environment and learns to act by associating this information or stimuli with adaptive responses.
The mind, although it is recognized that it is part of the learning process, is seen as an inaccessible element that can not be known. The main elements to take into account are the stimuli, the answers, the association between both and the possible reinforcements or punishments derived from the conduct finally performed.
In classical behaviorism, it is considered that in the acquisition of knowledge and behavior the subject will be a passive and reactive entity , capturing the stimulation and linking it to the appetitive or aversive to finish responding accordingly. Learning is acquired through the repetition of associations between stimuli, so that the focus on education will be based on repetitive training and memorization.
Regarding the world of education, the teacher or educator has a role of great importance, to be the one who provides the information through the use of reinforcements or avoidance of punishments. It is considered that a learning is established when the answers given by the individual are considered correct to the stimulation given by the environment, having become accustomed to giving it to the appropriate stimuli.
Constructivism: learn as creation of meaning
Although many of the behaviorism is based on empirical data, the mere association is not enough to explain how learning occurs and other phenomena such as the importance of beliefs, motivations and emotions in the acquisition of knowledge, being the mental processes of the obviated individuals. This would change with the arrival of cognitivism , which would focus on analyzing the processing of information, and with the time of constructivism as a different way of understanding learning.
Constructivism observes learning as a process of acquiring and consolidating information based on the mental processes of the learner. The subject is an active element in this process, annexing information or modifying their mental schemes based on the experiences they live, trying to give the world around them a meaning. As can be glimpsed in its name, for this theoretical current learning is achieved before the construction and reconstruction of structures whose foundations are prior knowledge, and whose element of union with new knowledge is the ability to give them a meaning within the system.
Thus, if you learn is not simply because you acquire external information, but because from examining the characteristics of the new is going to extract a meaning of the information itself. Subsequently, what has been learned, what will be understood and what has been given meaning, can be generalized if
In addition to learn when there are no unique laws, but have to take into account aspects such as skills, level of care and desire to learn from the person or entity that learns, and that the material to be learned must be adaptive and useful for the subject in question.
The role of context in constructivism
For this current environment and stimuli are indeed important, but it is considered that the main thing is the interaction between the external and internal variables of the person. In learning situations what is known as an interactive triangle is taken into account , which refers to the interaction maintained between the characteristics of the learner, the material to learn and the person or thing that transmits the information. These three elements are going to affect each other and will allow or not the acquisition of material in a significant way on the part of the learner.
The role of the instructor is not directive, but should provide a guide for the learner to be able to draw their own conclusions from reality. This guide contributes to learning that generates a shared and adaptive meaning to the environment. The relevant aids must be provided and adjusted to each case so that those who acquire knowledge can begin to do so and as they begin to master the material they have to be removed (in a process called scaffolding). In this way the individual can reach their maximum potential, going beyond what they can learn for themselves thanks to the provision of external aid.
Currently, constructivism is the predominant theoretical current in terms of pedagogical practice, based on authors such as Piaget and especially Vygotsky.
Main differences
As it has been seen previously, there are multiple aspects in which both theories differ. Some of the most remarkable are the following.
1. Active or passive role
One of the main differences is that while behaviorism sees the individual as a passive entity when it comes to acquiring knowledge, Constructivism considers that in fact the most important thing when learning is the activity of the subject .
2. The importance of interaction
Related to the above, while for behaviorism the most relevant to learning is the environment or environment as a set of stimuli to which the subject has access to constructivism all the components of the process and not only what is learned is necessary, being the interaction between person and environment what produces learning.
3. Different methodologies
For behaviorism the objective of learning is to produce an observable modification of behavior, while constructivism considers that the achievement to be undertaken is to create new meanings whether these are observable directly or not .
4. The role of the educator
They also diverge in that while for constructivism the role of the educator or transmitter of information is the guide and support for behaviorism, the role must be hierarchical and directive.
5. Differences when it comes to teaching
The method to learn is also going to be different: for behaviorism the ideal is the continuous repetition of the association between stimuli, producing a more rote learning, while constructivism is based on creating meanings from the union between the old and the new making meaningful learning for whoever does it.
Points of commonality between both perspectives
Although behaviorism and constructivism have many elements that differentiate them from each other, they share some common aspects.
In both currents of thought behavior is seen as a product of lifelong learning, focusing its methodology on practices that contribute to the acquisition and improvement of the adaptive capacities of individuals.
Also, due to the importance of both behaviorism and cognitivism in learning, both paradigms have been applied at a practical level in the world of education and the training of skills and knowledge.
Finally, in both cases we work from data and constructs based on empirical data supported by experience.
