2. Behaviorism and Instructional Technology

John K. Burton, David M. (Mike) Moore, Susan G. Magliaro

Virginia Polytechnic Institute

In 1913, John Watson's, "Psychology as the behaviorist views it", put forth the notion that psychology did not have to use terms such as consciousness, mind, or images. In a real sense, Watson's work became the opening "round" in a battle that the behaviorists dominated for nearly 60 years. During that period, behavioral psychology (and education) taught little about cognitive concerns, paradigms, etc. For a brief moment as cognitive psychology eclipsed behavioral theory(see 5.2.3), the commonalties between the two orientations were evident (see, e.g., Neisser, 1967, 1976). To the victors, however, go the spoils and the rise of cognitive psychology has meant the omission, or in some cases misrepresentation, of behavioral precepts from current curricula. With that in mind this chapter has three main goals. First, it is necessary to revisit some of the underlying assumptions of the two orientations and to review some basic behavioral concepts. Second, we examine the research on instructional technology to illustrate the impact of behavioral psychology on the tools of our field. Finally, we conclude the chapter with an epilogue.