Behaviorism Contents 1. The definition of behaviorism, i.e. what is behaviorism? 2. The main ideas of behaviorism related to language learning. 3. The influences of behaviorism to both ESL and English teaching .1. A brief introduction Behaviorism is a principle of scientific method based on the belief that human beings cannot know anything they have not experienced. -胡壮麟语言学教程 It is a psychological theory of learning ( 1940s and 1950s), views learning as the formation of habits.For Bloomfield, linguistics is a branch of psychology, and specifically of the positivistic brand of psychology known as Behaviorism.Other Major Thinkers in Behaviorism Ivan Pavlov B. F. Skinner Edward Thorndike John B. Watson Albert Bandrua -Web 2. The main ideas of the theoryThe behaviorist view: 1. There is nothing linguistic in the mind of the newborn baby. 2. Language learning is the result of imitation, practice, feedback on success, and habit formation. 3. The quality and quantity of the language which the child hears, as well as the consistency of the reinforcement offered by others in the environment, should have an effect on the childs success in the language learning. To put it simple Behaviorists thought language learning occurs through a process of imitation, practice, reinforcement and habit formation.A formula Stimulus - Response - Reinforcement Sr - sR Here S stands for practical stimulus, r stands for the substitute reaction of speech, s stands for the substitute stimulus, and R stands for external practical reaction. S外部刺激 r言语的代替 反应 s言语的代替性刺激 R外部的实际反应 A classical example of the formula: Girl hungry (S)-make sounds(r)-boy pick up apple(s)-girl got the apple(R) -胡壮麟语言学教程 pictures3. The influences For much of the first half of the twentieth century, behaviorism dominated psychology and education and, consequently, theories of L2 learning and teaching. It was believed that all behavior including the kind of complex behavior found in language acquisition, could be explained in terms of habits. Acquisition is controlled by external factors, and the learner is viewed as a passive medium. Learning took place when learners had the opportunity to practice making the correct response to a given stimulus. Learners imitated models of correct language and received positive reinforcement if they were correct and negative reinforcement if they were incorrect.translation 习惯可以用于解释一切行为，包括语言习 得中的复杂行为。外部因素控制习得机制 ，而学习者本身只是一被动学习介质。当 学习者有机会对已给的刺激作出正确的反 应时，学习这一现象便产生。学习者模仿 正确的语言时得到积极的强化，反之，则 得到消极的强化Thanks!