From the beginning of educational processes, significant differences in the development of human behavior have had to be taken into account, which are truly useful and important for pedagogical and didactic application, as well as for determining educational psychology strategies. For example, “in classical conditioning, learning is passive, absorbing and reacting automatically to stimuli” (p.38 Coll, Palacios and Marchesi 2014). Whereas, in operant conditioning, the learner proceeds or “operates” on the environment.
Operant conditioning in the educational process
Thus, certain research on educational theories, classic in the context of reinforcement and behavioral modification of operant conditioning, has been able to determine how babies’ memory will repeat an action days or weeks later, if evaluated in a context very analogous to that in which they were initially trained. That is, according to these authors:
The time during which a conditioned response can be retained increases with age, ranging from two days for two-month-old babies to 13 weeks for 18-month-olds. In younger babies, retention time can be increased by dividing training into a greater number of sessions. (p.38 ibid)
In accordance with the above, it can be inferred that operant conditioning, key in classical educational psychology theories, is a learning method that occurs through the cohesion of reinforcements, which can be rewards and punishments for certain responses shown by the individual. In this regard, Reynolds (1968) states that the exposed responses symbolize a small part of the behavior of “higher organisms,” while the remaining behavior is operant. Consequently, he says: “there are no environmental stimuli evoking operant behavior; this behavior has the property of simply occurring” (p.13).
Similarly, it is important to clarify that in operant conditioning terminology, operant responses are emitted by organisms with the main objective of this discipline being to increase or decrease the probability of a behavior repeating itself. Actions that receive a reward will tend to be performed again, while those that receive a punishment will cease to be executed.
Likewise, moving through history, operant theory was constructed as an operational analysis of the three observable elements in the establishment of an operant reflex: the discriminative stimulus, the response, and the reinforcing stimulus. These factors were called the triple contingency relation, which in turn is made up of the units of behavior analysis, i.e., stimuli, responses, consequences.
In this context, it is relevant to note that the triple contingency relation is a way of explaining behavior where, in turn, reference is made to the existence of a relationship between events. So, if the first behavior shown is greater than the second, the contingency will be positive, while the opposite will happen if the response is negative (ibid. Coll, Palacios and Marchesi).
Thus, for the control and management of behavior, the triple contingency relation is made up of the units of behavior analysis, i.e., stimuli, responses, consequences. Through these elements, technologies have been developed for the control of behavior and its explanation, where functional analyses can be performed for “behavior modification programs” in which learning sources are diagnosed in terms of antecedents, behaviors, and consequences.
Contiguity and contingency
In terms of learning psychology, contingency is obtained by comparing two probabilities, where the “Unconditioned Stimulus” (food, for example) is present along with the “Conditioned Stimulus” (sound, for example) and also occurs in its absence.
In this same scenario, for Ponce (2012), if classical conditioning is expressed in terms of contiguity (simultaneity), operant conditioning is expressed in terms of contingency (probability). This can be explained as follows:
Two events are contingent when they occur jointly according to a certain probability. For example, an insured car may have an accident and suffer damage requiring repairs, if the conditions are met: that its driver drives drunk, or that the drunk driver is another driver who crashes into it, that is, that it is at the precise moment to receive the impact (p.259)
Ultimately, this type of learning is called operant conditioning, as the individual learns from the consequences of their “operating” on the environment. It is necessary to remember that it was B. F. Skinner who enunciated the “principles of operant conditioning,” in whose experiment rats and pigeons were the main protagonists, concluding that the same elements apply to human beings.
Conditioning in learning
The teaching and learning process is composed of four elements: the teacher, the student, the content, and environmental variables (factors that are an essential part of the binomial: school/classroom). So, each of these elements influences to a greater or lesser degree, depending on how they relate in a given scenario (Ponce ibid).
Now, although it is clear that behaviorism may have lost much of the prominence it had during the first part of the 20th century, “operant conditioning” continues to be a significant tool used periodically in “behavior shaping processes.” So much so that many parents use it even if they do not know the underlying theory in detail and depth, and of course, teachers also use the strategies that come from this theory, precisely because it allows for better control and management of the student group, as well as a collective learning process.
Action plans and educational psychology strategies
Now, within real school contexts, it is necessary to prevent and eradicate the problem thoroughly, identifying the behavioral symptoms specifically, without forgetting that the school as a whole must analyze the issue comprehensively and make the most convenient decisions according to the context. For example, using the classical theory of behaviorism, specifically operant conditioning, suggestions can be given to improve bullying situations, which are abundant in educational settings and cyclically affect children and young people worldwide, being a problem of behavioral origin.
Given the above, it is essential that the action plans agreed upon have responsible parties for what is intended to be done and processes for evaluating results. Some actions carried out in educational institutions that have managed to reduce school bullying according to Frola and Velásquez (2011):
- The problem is recognized, and the school and its actors assume responsibility.
- The problem is publicly discussed in the presence of all involved actors.
- School councils are established to follow up on agreed actions, among which vigilance and the establishment of clear and public rules in case of aggressions cannot be missing.
- Cross-curricular projects are carried out to address the problem from all subjects, with the aim of raising awareness and sensitizing all students to the problem.
- Dynamics of healthy coexistence are created in the classroom and in the educational institution in general, emphasizing strengthening good relationships and solidarity with others.
- Actions are carried out from classroom work to strengthen the self-esteem of all students and foster expressions of affection among the entire school community.
- Cooperative learning groups are promoted, ensuring that all students are included in classroom work.
As observed, although the negative and/or positive reinforcements that can be applied to modify a specific problem behavior in a given child and adolescent psychological context are not literally demonstrated, contiguity and contingency, key in operant conditioning, are subliminally present in each of the proposed strategies.
Ultimately, the point is to diversify what has already been studied and addressed in the field of educational psychology, focusing and intervening from other perspectives and adapting them to the current world.
Bibliography
Coll C, Palacios J, Marchesi A, (2014). Desarrollo Psicológico y Educación. Alianza Editorial, Madrid.
Frola P, y Velásquez J (2011). Estrategias de intervención. Los problemas de la Conducta en el aula Centro de Investigación Educativa y Capacitación Institucional S.C. México D.F
G, S Reynolds (1964). Compendio de Condicionamiento Operante. Universida de California Estados Unidos de América.
Ponce M, Fundamentos. (2012). TOMAS PONCE MEJIA Red Tercer Milenio – PDF Free Download. Docplayer.es. https://docplayer.es/16138328-Tomas-ponce-mejia-red-tercer-milenio.html