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Understanding Neoconductism in Learning

Neoconductism, derived from behaviorism, emphasizes the interaction between mental processes and environmental factors in learning, moving beyond the strict stimulus-response model. Pioneered by psychologists like Edward Tolman and Clark Hull, it incorporates cognitive mediators such as intentions and beliefs, while still acknowledging the role of the environment in shaping behavior. Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory exemplifies this approach, highlighting the importance of imitation and self-regulation in learning.

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16 views5 pages

Understanding Neoconductism in Learning

Neoconductism, derived from behaviorism, emphasizes the interaction between mental processes and environmental factors in learning, moving beyond the strict stimulus-response model. Pioneered by psychologists like Edward Tolman and Clark Hull, it incorporates cognitive mediators such as intentions and beliefs, while still acknowledging the role of the environment in shaping behavior. Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory exemplifies this approach, highlighting the importance of imitation and self-regulation in learning.

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Neoconductism

There are different psychological perspectives on learning,


but the first of them that gained great notoriety and importance was the
Behaviorist Theory, thanks to the valuable contributions of John B. Watson, its
creator, Pavlov, E.L. Thorndike and B.F. Skinner, among others. The theory
the learning behaviorist suggests that the outcome of learning is a
behavioral change and highlights the effects of events or occurrences
external factors about the individual; however, Woolfolk (2010) considers that
Watson and the early behaviorists took this radical stance towards the
impossibility of verifying or studying rigorously and scientifically the
thought, intentions and other internal mental events, for
they considered that those 'mentalisms', as they called them, were not even
they should be included in an explanation of learning, (p. 198).
John B. Watson asserted that only observable behaviors and
quantifiable could predict, explain, and control behavior.
According to him, there are two types of behavior: the respondent, which is the

behavior that an individual assumes automatically in response to a


stimulus (for example, the contraction of the pupil in response to bright light
or the salivation when remembering the sourness of lemons); and the operant, which

acts on the environment. Both are learned by people


as a consequence of the events that follow it (for example, if
A child cries and the mother picks him up immediately, from there she will follow him.

doing every time he wants his mother to carry him). From here arises the
operant conditioning, the result of the manipulation of stimuli
to obtain a desired behavior.
According to Castro (2017), the behavioral approach was very
criticized for excluding mental processes and other basic aspects of
study of behavior, limiting it only to the stimulus-response connection
answer. As a consequence of this, a new arose in the 1930s
behavioral approach or perspective of learning, derived from theory
Watson's behaviorism and its followers, neobehaviorism, which was
driven by American psychologists Edward Tolman and Clark
Leonard Hull, (p. 1).
These researchers believed that every individual has the
ability to actively process the information it obtains from
environment or context in which it operates. From this
consideration, neoconductism proposes that there are indeed processes
mental processes that intervene between stimuli and responses, changing or
modifying the received information.

Consequently, its foundation is to study these processes.


[mental] in a person when carrying out an activity
specific and the way to store what has been learned, but without leaving
to take into account the essential role of the environment because it is of

there where the reinforcers come from, so the neo


conductism continues to be linked to stimulus theory
response, but the main interest of the representatives is the
analysis of behavior itself, taking into account how
the environment influences people to the point of changing their

"conducts" (p. 1).

That is, neo-behaviorism indicates an interaction between the


internal and environmental factors, which is why there is interest in
investigate the cognitive mediators or thought processes such as the
observation, description, comparison, classification, and synthesis, between
others. Likewise, neoconductism emphasizes that it is due to the
influence or the force of the environment, that the behavior of an individual
towards another is determined by the aspects of that individual and according to the

situation in which both find themselves; while for the


conductism, everything is a mechanical act where only the stimulus matters,
the response and conditioning.
Although Tolman and Hull developed neobehaviorism, both of them
they approached it differently. On one hand, Tolman proposed the
intentional neoconductism, indicating that behavior must be
considered in a proactive manner, since to maintain behavior
must be given a specific and intentional direction; this researcher
he used the experimental method in his studies and emphasized the
active character of the organism. On the other hand, Hull proposes
the deductive neoconductivism, which presents behavior as a
survival mechanism of the organism; this researcher employed the
hypothetical-deductive method and highlighted the active nature of the organism,
with adaptability, that learns through reinforcement. Both
Researchers use objective methods and conduct very thorough investigations.
meticulous, acknowledging the existence of consciousness, but without knowing
how to study it.
Currently, according to Mesía and Frisancho (2007), the
the neoconductist approach is much broader and more flexible. To the connection

stimulus-response (S-R) has added certain intermediate variables not


observables, such as expectations, intentions, beliefs and
the thoughts and has taken an interest in topics that had never been
addressed, such as perception and motivational processes.
It also studies other aspects of psychological interest, such as:
tension, empathy, trust, and personality. In the school environment still
several of his contributions are preserved, such as the use of grades,
rewards and punishments. Although the strategies have varied
stimulus-response and that greater application is given to the approaches
cognitive and constructivist, continues to be of great utility in the
behavior modification.
According to these authors, a relevant and notable example of the approach

neoconductism is the social cognitive theory of Albert Bandura, which


consider learning as something more than observable behavior.
Bandura suggests that people can "know" more than their behavior.
Learning is considered as the acquisition of knowledge
and behavior as the observable execution based on such
knowledge; this is an important distinction for Bandura and others,” (p.
29).
In describing the behavioral-cognitive position, Bandura (1971),
cited by Mesía and Frisancho (2007) wrote:

Man is a thinking organism that possesses


capabilities that provide him with a power of self-direction.
If there is anything that can be said against behaviorist theories

traditionals is to provide an incomplete explanation,


more than an inaccurate explanation of human behavior.
The social learning theory highlights the important
roles played by imitation processes, symbolic and
self-regulatory.

Social cognitive theory can be considered, by many


reasons, like a bridge between behavioral approaches and
cognitivist, (p. 29).

REFERENCES

Castro, L. (2017). Neoconductivism, [online document]. Available:


Unable to access the content of the provided URL.. [Consult: 2017,
October 22.

Messiah, R. and Frisancho, A. (2007). Psychology of Learning: Anthology.


Lima: National University of San Marcos.

Educational Psychology
Education.

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