I'm interested in behaviorism I think because I'm interested in gamification. Since the 1800s behaviorists have been saying "do this and you'll get that" and of course such an exchange has been going on long before. Behaviorism freaks people out: we don't like the idea that we can be programmed to act in certain ways and we want to see ourselves as more advanced than Skinner's rats and Pavlov's dogs, but look at what good it can do. I say it's fine to be wary, but be open-minded too. Reward systems can be beneficial.
Interesting link, Megan. I agree that behaviorist conditioning can be beneficial in certain circumstances. But we can't forget that behaviorism can sometimes present our behavior and its influences in a too-simplistic way. We are complex beings shaped by complex forces after all, but what good it did for this baby! Thanks for posting :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jennifer! You're right, behaviorism can oversimplify behaviors and motivation. People are complicated. But I do think behaviorism can actually be used in some clever ways, particularly in pedagogy. We can design courses to incentive certain actions/reactions. I just always think of my apathetic students; it isn't that they're bad or lazy, they just respond to incentive, and they see little incentive in general education courses. Sigh... :)
ReplyDelete